Reading Response

The key point of reading these chapters is that teachers need to use backwards design in order to bridge the KNOW/DO/BE. I think this concept of working backwards is hard for many educators to grasp. Teachers generally use the standards as a basis of what to teach. By working backwards, teachers will begin by considering what is the desired result of the students’ learning.I believe that using this method will enable teachers to give students more opportunities for in-depth learning of a concept or topic. 

Chapters three through five also talk about skill levels. The book suggests that the best way to avoid lower-order skills is for teachers to begin their questions with “how” and “why.” When teachers only ask children to recall prior knowledge this is not learning; it is memorization.  This situation is among the lowest level of skill in the DO triangle. According to Bloom’s taxonomy, the DO should involve analysis, evaluation, and synthesis. I feel that teachers sometimes use stating facts in assessments for the primary reason that it is easiest to grade. Teachers can use a key, and the responses to the questions asked do not vary. Using Bloom’s taxonomy is a great guide to establish questions that allow students to use higher-level thinking.

There are many concepts I learned that will be beneficial in planning my teacher work sample. First, I learned how to scan and cluster standards in the curriculum maps in order to see where integration may be possible. I also learned to prioritize the curriculum based on what is most important for students to know. This understanding is essential in providing teachers with a better understanding of how to enhance the existing standards in order to better fit the needs of students. I believe that using practices such as these, in correspondence with an integrated curriculum is the best way of engaging students in a curriculum.