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Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Today we are going to be using iNACOL's five CBE design principles in curriculum development and implementation. For today's lesson, I have chosen a quote by William Butler Yeats which states, "education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." By the end of the lesson today, you will be able to examine the five principles of competency-based education in depth and in practice.
So first, let's go ahead and take a look at design principle number one. As we work through these various design principles, you will be seeing not only the principal and all of the elements involved, but also an example of a various element that helps include those design principles-- so looking at that curriculum map and that unit of study and seeing where we can see each of these design principles in practice.
Design principle number one-- students will not move on until they have reached mastery. The major elements involved here are the ideas that students are able to advance only when they've demonstrated mastery and that that demonstration is really facilitated by the teacher. This is important that students are moving not just because they have completed that unit or they've reached the end of a grade level, but that they actually know the material.
This involves the idea that work is being appropriately challenging for various individual student learning so that students are really pushed within each area and that students are evaluated on their performance only. They are not evaluated on the idea that they are coming into class late or that they are not participating in class. That should be a separate measurement than these elements.
And finally, there is the idea for flexibility in the pacing, that some students are going to finish faster. And we know that. Some students are going to finish slower than others-- and that the teacher is able to really help facilitate that in the process.
So let's take a look at an example unit of study called "narratives." And you'll see there in the highlighted portion that this is where we're really focusing in on that idea of students advancing upon achieving mastery. We've highlighted those learning objectives. And those are the things that the students are going to need to know to be able to move on to the next units within our overarching curriculum map.
Next let's take a look at design principle number two, the idea that students are really empowered by those explicit and measurable learning objectives. When we look at competency-based education, we are really focusing in on the idea that students are aware of those learning targets and what they need to be reaching and that they are also clear on how they are going to be measured so that students are taking an active approach within their lessons.
Also, teachers really help them become the coaches and the facilitators. Students are the one who are engaging in their own acquisition of knowledge. And the teachers are just helping to facilitate that acquisition.
Also, units of learning need to be clearly defined so that we are all clear on where the various different elements are within those units of study and that students are knowing what they need to do in order to move on. Finally, we're focusing in on the idea that learning can not just happen inside the classroom, but also outside of the classroom.
Let's take a look at where that can be seen here. What we're looking at here, especially as those idea that the measurable learning objectives are there to empower the students-- I've highlighted both the end-of-unit performance tasks so that students know what they're going to need to be able to do.
But I've also highlighted an area that I would have added into this unit, which are some more specific assessments, some of those formative assessments along the way. That's where students are able to really clearly see what it is that they need to be doing. And then you can also notice that there are some cross-content connections where students can see how they can apply this learning outside of this classroom in other classrooms.
Design principle three looks at the fact that assessment is meaningful and is really a positive learning experience for the students. When we look at competency-based education, we see that the formative assessments that students are engaging in play a major, major role. Students get immediate feedback from formative assessments, as opposed to waiting all the way to the end for those summative assessments, so that they are in charge of that learning data and know what they need to do in order to achieve mastery as it was defined earlier.
Also, this helps teachers to collaborate in determining proficiency. If these learning experiences are positive for the student and there are ways to connect this with other elements, teachers can really work together to help see that that child is proficient.
Also, design principle number three takes into account that skills and concepts can be measured in many different ways so that the emphasis there is on really the learning and the acquiring of the knowledge rather than the grades. Finally, summative assessments are included or can be included. But those dates can be adapted to the individual student so that assessment is really flexible to follow the student's self-pacing.
When we look at that example, we look back to those end-of-unit performance tasks and the ways in which students will be assessed on this. They can see what those are. They have a general idea of them. I would say that these ones as listed here are not necessarily as obviously meaningful to the student. But there are things that could be added to that to help make it even more meaningful.
We're going to look next to design principal number four-- students receive rapid, differentiated support. Here, the idea is that students are able to work at their own pace so that they are able to really go through the information as they best can at their own level and their own pacing but also that there are interventions that can be offered for students who are struggling with certain elements of the material by both teachers and even potentially by specialists.
Within design principle four, there is the idea that the adaptive learning that can occur here helps respond to the student mastery. So we're not adding more because we have more time in our lesson. We're adding more because that's what the student's learning needs require.
So let's take a look at that unit that we had before. So within those narratives, what we're able to look at here are the core texts and the suggested texts that students have. You'll notice that there are core texts-- so ones that every student will do. But there is also some additional texts that could be added to that for students who are working ahead of the time.
We don't have demonstrated here what will happen if students are not meeting a certain level. But that could certainly be added-- different ways in which you intend to differentiate that learning and that support so that all students are able to get all of the necessary elements that they need to show mastery and proficiency.
Finally, design principle number five-- the idea that learning outcomes emphasize the creation and the application of knowledge. CBE really requires that there is real-world settings. So those competencies and objectives need to include those academic standards, but also the application of those standards.
We want the assessment rubrics to indicate not only what a student should know, but also what a student should be able to do, and that student work can be used as an example so students are able to see real-life versions of the work that they're going to be doing. Finally, there needs to be that consistent emphasis on those 21st-century skills, students seeing how they can apply this information outside of the classroom to really make it meaningful for them.
So as you look down here, we can see all of those standards are aligned down at the bottom so that you can see all the various ways that students are meeting those standards, as well as the way in which they can apply their learning in this class to other classes that they have, as well as those end-of-unit performance tasks that really play into some things that they will see as they continue in their education.
I want to leave you with just a few tips as you look at CBE curriculum design. The first is that competency-based education can be referred to in many different ways. It can be referred to as proficiency-based, performance-based, standards, mastery-based education. But they all get at the same major idea. And that is the idea that the students within a competency-based education classroom are receiving that personalized education, that differentiated education as often as possible so that their learning can really become their own.
Now that we've reached the end of this lesson, you are able to examine the five principles of competency-based education in depth and in practice.
Now that you've had an opportunity to look at an example curriculum map and unit of study lesson map, what do you think would be the most difficult part of helping to include these various design principles into your own units of study? To dive a little deeper and learn how to apply this information, be sure to check out the Additional Resources section associated with this video. This is where you're going to find those links that are targeted toward helping you discover more ways to apply this course material.
(00:00-00:19) Intro
(00:20-00:27) Objectives
(00:28-02:31) Design Principle 1 & Example
(02:32-04:13) Design Principle 2 & Example
(04:14-05:57) Design Principle 3 & Example
(05:58-07:28) Design Principle 4 & Example
(07:29-08:42) Design Principle 5 & Example
(08:43-09:15) CBE Curriculum Design Tips
(09:16-09:53) Review & Reflection
Setting up a Competency-Based System: The Authoring Process
In this article, high school Social Studies teacher Justin Ballou provides four strategies to follow when a school is ready to transition to a competency based system. In addition, he provides three examples of competencies that he uses in his classroom.
http://www.competencyworks.org/how-to/setting-up-a-competency/
Designing Your Competency-Based School
This wiki provides great resources and tools for teachers who are interested in implementing competency based instruction. Scroll down to "Voice, Choice and Personalization" for strategies to design your learning environment.
http://competencyworks.pbworks.com/w/page/67528709/Designing%20Your%20Competency-Based%20School