Often as faculty, our focus in our courses is the content we feel or are expected to deliver. Backward design is a planning process that flips our focus to the outcomes we’d like our students to achieve and then considers how they will demonstrate that they have achieved those outcomes. With the outcomes and assessments in mind, we can turn to designing learning experiences (in this case open pedagogy activities or assignments) and considering the content that will be needed for the learning experience.
The brief video below provides an analogy to illustrate this process. For a more thorough exploration of backward design, read the chapter, “Surfacing Backward Design” from Small Teaching Online. (This will be sent by email after the first Zoom session on July 29; you may also have access to the e-book through your campus library.)
Use Backward Design to Develop Your Open Pedagogy Activity or Assignment
In preparation for writing instructions for your students for the open pedagogy assignment, chose one activity or assignment from those you brainstormed earlier. Use the backward design process to map out the activity or assignment by answering the following questions:
- What are the desired results or learning outcomes?
- How will students demonstrate their learning?
- What activities and content will provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to successfully achieve the learning outcomes?
You an also use this backward design worksheet to guide you, if it’s helpful.
We will workshop your open pedagogy plan in our second Zoom session, and we invite you to share your open pedagogy activity or assignment with your disciplinary colleagues (according to how you self-identify):
6 thoughts on “Developing your open pedagogy activity using backward design”
This is the capstone assignment for my Advanced Studies in Teaching the Secondary School Social Studies
OBJECTIVES:
1. Recognize and analyze the Inquiry Design Model, as a current theory, philosophy, standards and resources of the curriculum and pedagogy of The Social Studies.
2. Gain expertise with the theories and practices of Inquiry Design Model.
3. Use all their knowledge about the concept, facts, tools, disciplinary inquiry, and disciplinary forms of representation, in civics, economics, geography, history and the social/behavioral science courses as a framework for explaining the Inquiry Design Model within the C3 Framework and the disciplines of the Subject of the Social Studies.
4. Expand expertise in archival research.
5. Expand expertise in locating appropriate primary and secondary sources suitable for student inquiry.
6. Develop deeper expertise in planning curricula and inquiry based learning strategies for use in grade 7-12 classrooms.
7. Infuse a local perspective into instructional planning.
8. Continue to demonstrate the ability to interpret, integrate and adapt in diverse context, the content of each of the standardized curriculum documents made familiar in EDS 315/615 and EDS 301/601. These include the National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies; New York State Learning Standards for Social Studies; New York State Social Studies Resources Guide with Core Curriculum, The Common Core Curriculum, and NYS K-12 Social Studies Framework.
9. Continue to develop a collegial sense of professionalism: to work with individuals inside and outside of the profession, and thereby foster individual identity as self-critical and resourceful teachers of The Social Studies.
10. Develop skills in on-line research and learning technology tools.
11. Strengthen college level writing skills.
REQUIREMENTS OF the Major Project:
The Major Project invites participants to develop an “Advanced Inquiry Design Model Blueprint” (IDM) that expands the ideas of the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards. Out of a possible, five advanced types of IDM Inquiry (Structured, Embedded Action, Focused, Guided, and Student-Centered) approaches, the project is to identify with the structure of the Embedded Action Inquiry and design the experience around a public, social problem of the Covid-19.
The participants are provided with a list of possible Compelling Questions related to Covid-19, from which they choose the question that will anchor their IDM Blueprint. The list of possible questions are organized into disciplines that make up Dimension 2 of the C3 Framework: Applying Disciplinary Concepts and Tools- the fundamental step of the IDM.
The list of 94 possible questions are sorted under the headings: civic, economic, geographic, historical, and social behavior sciences. While no question is purely civic, economic, geographic, historical, or social behavioral, they are sorted knowing that it was one way to view these questions and that there was likely a driving discipline that would anchor the student’s exploration.
With a robust Compelling Question, as the focus, participants determine the kind of content they need in order to create an instructional plan of inquiry to address their question. This process is an artful balancing act: teachers must preload some disciplinary content and must provide students with enough content to propel their inquiries without quashing curiosity or, worse yet, doing their work for them.
The role of the teacher in the Embedded Action Inquiry approach is to develop the Supportive Questions, the Summative and Formative Tasks and most of the sources, although students might select some sources as they relate to the research opportunity within the inquiry. The teacher develops the inquiry and focuses on structuring the Taking Informed Action Sequence (understand-assess-act) into the core of the blueprint, rather than leaving it to the end of the inquiry. Plan this Inquiry to last 5 to 10 days.
The completed IDM Inquiry Plan consists of the IDM Blueprint, clear and extensive annotations/narratives describing and explaining each of the components listed on the Blueprint. Provide an inquiry description, explanation of the structure of the inquiry and the assessment tools used by the teacher. Be sure to include sources, materials/ guides/task requirements, glossary of key terms that you give to students and the connection of the inquiry to the Common Core.
For samples of the format for the Annotation Section, see any one of the “Inquiry Topics and Ideas” included in the New York State K-12 Social Studies Resource Toolkit:
https://www.engageny.org/resource/new-york-state-k-12-social-studies-resource-toolkit
SCAFFOLDING ACTIVITIES:
The course emphasizes cooperation, professional development, reflection and growth for pre-service and for practicing teachers. I believe the best teachers reflect on their own practice. Learning to teach and teaching itself is an act of inquiry, involving constant attempts to improve, through the gathering of evidence and the sharing of ideas. The work we do within this course should represent a constant attempt to improve and excel.
We will work together to set the parameters and the rubric for what will be required of the Major Project and what is expected of each participant. No two projects and efforts will be alike and therefore, the work of each participant will be based on individual expertise and synergy of all prior and current content, curricular and pedagogical knowledge. The final course grade will be based on:
Collaboration/ Session Participation/ Formative Tasks
Oral Discussions on Types of Inquiry
Group work on developing a Basic Inquiry Design Model Blueprint for a single lesson (Formative task)
Major Project , an individually developed Advanced Inquiry Design Model Blueprint Across a Course of Study
This sounds like a really wonderful capstone project, Margaret. I’d be interested to hear what parts of the assignment you see as incorporating open pedagogy and if there is more that could be done with the assignment to incorporate open pedagogy.
Thank you for your comment adn question, Jean.
This major project becomes more to the tenants of Open Pedagogy, if the topic and the compelling question is formulated by the student, rather than being given to them by the instructor. Students are opened to develop the supporting questions, build the formative tasks that address each supporting question, and find the resources that are relevant to explore each supporting question. All this individual activity and research is taken to the next inquiry level when students test the compelling question by developing a summative argumentative, evidence based, task. The task can be presented in a variety of ways. Another step, shich definitely suggests Open Pedagogy, is to take what they learned and create an action plan to share the information outside the classroom in any form they wish.
This is the overall process of the “Inquiry Design Model”, which I find very important and relevant to help students engage in inquiry and decision making skills, the objective of the C3 Framework for the Social Studies (the idea on which the SS standard is based).
The following is part of my research class assignments and objectives. I usually tried to make it explicit at the beginning about what they are expected. And each assignment afterwards is an addition to their final accomplishment. Embedded in these assignments are also students’ input and reflections at their own level. I want them to be able to develop that final critical ability of investigating an issue not merely methodologically but also with a clear awareness of their own choices/stances/investments.
A research seminar class: Part I
End product: A research proposal for a study of educational interest
Objectives:
• understand the basic (and some advanced) research designs in educational research.
• appreciate the basic issues in designing appropriate research studies according to one’s research questions.
• appreciate, analyze, and critique research literature as a researcher.
• enhance understanding of issues and concerns of educational research.
• appreciate the complexity and multiple perspectives of approaching educational issues.
• narrow down on an issue of education that needs further research, and design a relevant research for such an issue of choice.
• To communicate such design in a conventionally accepted manner and language.
• To produce a proposal that contains relevant literature review of the issue and feasible description of methods of investigation.
Assignments samples (with two samples) (for each assignment, there is an activity component, and instruction component):
What am I expected to accomplish for this class?
Activity (expectations): Examining proposal samples (including quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, social issues in education, cognitive investigation, and literacy-focused proposals) [provided two weeks ahead of time]
Share in small groups their understanding of the expectations described with one sample proposal as reference in their groups: format and specific sections (introduction, literature review, research questions, methods, references);
Share their own possible areas of interests
Complete a short written response as to how it is match or not their own expectations of the class
Instruction: A mini-lecture on the objectives, inviting students to reflect how this understanding of the objectives would help them have a critical view of what is research: a critical and methodically-conducted investigation of an issue of interest.
Activity (literature I): Provide students with a list of 12 topics (each topic is accompanied by one two suggested readings); A powerpoint presentation of why to do a literature review and how to do start a literature review search is provided (including the why and how).
Students share their own topics of interest, justify their tentative choice of the topic, use their own topics to initiate a search online for relevant articles.
Share the search within small groups, invite input from other participants about how to narrow down or expand their initial literature search.
Instruction: mini-lecture on the justifications to develop a topic of interest into a research topic. Invite students to see whether they can use these criteria to evaluate their own transformation of a topic of interest into a research question.
Class discussions on the initial search they have done. The discussions will help me understand their strength (what they know), as well as help them understand what they are really interested and how operationalizable their topics are. This will also help me adjust my instruction for the second part of “literature review.”
What are the desired results or learning outcomes?
The desired results /learning outcomes is that heritage students understand written accent rules in Spanish as a way to enrich their writing skills. Most of these students come to class with a knowledge of conversational Spanish (mainly from Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic) but lack expertise on appropriate linguistic register and writing norms. In addition , they expand their ability to formally define the meanings of word and discuss informal registers.
How will students demonstrate their learning?
Students will be provided at the end a word list to apply the accentuation rules discussed in class.
What activities and content will provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to successfully achieve the learning outcomes?
Before coming to class, they had to review accentuation rules.
In class
First, I show them a video of “colloquial” words in different Spanish dialects, some of them strange to their own dialect.
Then, I ask them to identify those words and try to match them with different dialects. Most of the students make a guess but we discuss the different linguistic areas.
Then I ask them in groups to come up with their own list of words that they consider specific to their own dialect. (Please note that in every group there are people from different dialects). They were also asked to explain formally the meaning of those words and provide context. In addition they were asked to separate the words in syllables and apply the accentuation rules.
They were asked to come up to the blackboard, write the words, and definitions. Students found this especially challenging since most of the time they were facing colloquial words/expressions whose meaning is not easy to formalize, but they eventually found the way to critically define these words. We discussed the accentuation rules and finally, as a class, they reviewed accentuation rules and concepts and students easily applied all the rules to the words/expressions they had chosen.
Learning goal or outcome: Students will evaluate a text for young people to gain a better understanding of the genre of YA literature/YA media and the genre of the review
Knowledge: Students will gain knowledge about the research process including research questions, hypotheses, sampling strategies, research designs and statistical analyses required to draw conclusions.
Skills: Students will be able to formulate hypotheses appropriate to the research question, determine a research method and select and run statistical tests to evaluate the hypotheses
Assessment: Using a given data set, students will design a study, select a sample, run analyses to test hypotheses
First Exposure: Research scenarios will be presented which look into various research questions.
Activities: Students will answer questions identifying variables, formulating research questions and hypotheses.
Content: Audio lectures with PowerPoint slides will be posted, Wikis, Journals and Blogs will be used to engage students in discussion and to encourage them to ask questions and get clarifications.