Differentiated Instruction through the Lens of UbD

Video Transcription

Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I hope you're having a wonderful day today. Today we're going to go ahead and take a look at differentiated instruction, but this time, through the lens of Understanding by Design.

And for today's lesson, I've chosen a quote by Malcolm Forbes, which states, "the purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one."

Now by the end of the lesson today, you will be able to review the stages of Understanding by Design. You will be able to discuss the steps involved in planning for differentiated instruction using the Understanding by Design framework. And you will be able to understand how the Understanding by Design framework relates to competency-based education.

Now first, what I would like to do is briefly review with you those stages of Understanding by Design. You'll notice here in stage one, we're really looking at identifying the desired results for our curriculum. So we're looking at the goals tying those to the standards, and coming up with those essential questions and key knowledge and skills that we want our students to really know, and understand, and be able to do by the end of the uni or the overarching course.

In stage two is where we determine the evidence for showing that they've met that goal. So we're coming up with the main summative performance assessment, as well as other formative assessments as we go through. And then, finally, in stage three is where we determine that learning plan. Really deciding the activities and accounting for student engagement so that we can execute everything we've established.

Now what I'd like to do now is really look at the process for differentiated instruction through planning when we're using Understanding by Design. So when I talk about differentiated instruction here, what I'm really looking at is a certain type of teaching or an approach to teaching where the teacher assumes that every student is different in their readiness both to learn the concepts, as well as different in the ways that they're learning and the way that they're eventually going to be able to demonstrate what it is that they've learned.

It's also incorporated into differentiated instruction, the idea that students can learn better in different types of environments. And because of this, the instruction is going to potentially vary based on each individual student. When we look at differentiation within Understanding by Design, there are a couple of different ways that we can approach instructional planning. The first of which is that we want to make sure that we're identifying what the students should know, understand, or be able to do at the start. Within an individualized approach, these answers might be different depending on the different students in your class.

So, for example, you might have some students that have already mastered a certain goal or competency that you've established, whereas others are a few steps behind. So you're going to want to make sure you account for that differentiation based on some students having maximum knowledge already, whereas others having a minimum required knowledge.

The second major area you want to look at is really to determine the summative assessments. Once you have determined the summit of assessments, you need to remember that that also might be different. Now that doesn't mean that we set different goals or require students to do different things. But rather, that we have an understanding that students are going to reach proficiency at different levels, and they almost might present their knowledge or their competency in different ways. So those summative assessments might look different for different students. Students might be able to demonstrate their mastery in different ways.

The third element when differentiating that instruction through planning is when you develop that learning plan. Now when you develop the learning plan, you have a fabulous opportunity for the most differentiation throughout this process. You can defer the content, the process by which students interact with that content, the product that they then present to you by the end of the learning plan, as well as differentiating the learning environment for some of your students based on their interests and their intellectual needs, as well as their readiness to learn the material.

Finally, the last major area of instructional design is really looking at adjusting the learning plan based on those formative assessments. So when we adjust that learning plan, what we're looking at here is that ongoing formative assessment. How are those students demonstrating what it is that they know? And then how are we, as teachers, going back and adjusting what we are putting forward so that students are really getting the most out of their educational experiences?

What I'd like to end with right now is really looking at how Understanding by Design can support competency-based instruction. So, first and foremost, competency is are absolutely related to the knowledge, skills, and understanding that we are establishing within competency-based instruction. So what I mean here is that what students should know and what they should be able to do are very closely related to those big ideas that we want students to understand when we're talking about a specific topic.

Similarly, the knowledge and the key skills that we are establishing should be explicit and measurable. Meaning that we have set aside very clear objectives for those students and those teachers to follow so that everyone is on the same page.

Similarly, within Understanding by Design, assessment should be meaningful. And it should be authentic. So when we talk about those performance assessments, what we're looking at is a summative assessment where students are taking everything that they've learned, and they are able to incorporate that into a positive experience so that their specific learning needs can be met.

And finally, through differentiated instruction, specifically in Understanding by Design, we are allowing students to receive that differentiated support. So it fits right in with the competency-based instructional elements of making sure that every student is getting that differentiated education.

Now that we've reached the end of the lesson, you have been able to review the stages of Understanding by Design. You have been able to discuss the steps involved in planning for differentiated instruction when using the Understanding by Design framework. And you've been able to understand how the Understanding by Design framework relates to competency-based education.

Now I want you to take just a moment for reflection. As we looked over those various stages of Understanding by Design and the process for differentiated instruction, what do you think would be the first step you would take to begin differentiating your instruction in the classroom?

As you reflect on how this new information can be applied, you might want to explore the Additional Resources section that accompanies this video presentation. This is where you'll find links to resources chosen to help you deepen your learning and explore the many ways that you can apply your newly acquired skillset.