UbD Unit Relfection

UbD Unit Reflection

By planning the unit with the standards in the forefront, the unit objectives were much more focused and centered around a “theme.” They can be seen leading in each lesson, and also show adhesiveness towards lessons in the future. I found it more effective to lay out the standards and was also able to determine whether or not an objective/standard was met.

It was extremely manageable to incorporate the EU’s and EQ’s during the teaching phase. I found that I was able to use the EQ’s in many different scenarios such as a morning meeting question, or just a note on the board.  The EU’s gave my students and myself several opportunities to come together and reflect on what we had learned, what we wanted to continue learning, and where we were going as a group. The EQ’s allowed us many different avenues to travel while investigating our topic.

I felt and still feel that the EU’s and EQ’s were road signs and maps for us. Both entities of the BD philosophy allow many opportunities to see where the unit is going and also gives the students meaning and relativity to what is being discussed.

With my BD development, the formative and summative assessments were already developed with our curriculum series. I can tell you though, that it has made a difference in how I've prioritized and focused each part of each lesson.  In my experience with the assessments, it has helped to guide my lessons and allowed me to look at where I am putting my energy as well as my students'. The students' performance has improved, because everything we work towards and practice during our daily lessons, is something that will need to mastered by the assessments, but can also be applied to a greater understanding to be used in the future.

The biggest benefit to this style of planning, has been the constant funnel effect back to the “main” EU’s. During any lesson, you can ask any student, any time, to tell you how this related to what we are discussing and 9/10 times, they can give you an appropriate answer. I believe with this style of planning and teaching, it also allows students to have more control over what they are discussing and what they find important. It seems to give more ownership to the learner, and challenges to become a leader, instead of being reliable on you for each new piece they learn.