“What the teacher-designer must do here above all else is resist the temptation to fall back on comfortable and familiar techniques” (p: 192)
Teachers must be careful when planning specially when creating new activities for the students, as teachers we must focus on planning the appropriate learning activities, and how can we do that? According to the authors we have to based our teaching on the goals and evidence identified in stages 1 (desired results) and 2 (performance). The challenge is to think more about the “learning” than the “teaching”.
What is a good plan? According to the authors a good plan must be engaging and effective. Engaging in the sense of provoking, fascinating, energizing the students. Effective related to helping learners to become more competent and productive.
Also, there are some key aspects we need to consider when “teaching and learning” called the WHERETO elements where such elements are tools for checking the design. The W makes reference to where the unit is going and why, the H is related to hook and hold the students attention, the E deals with the necessary equipment the students need, the R allows students to rethink big ideas, reflect progress and revise they work, the other E is for students to evaluate their progress and self assess, the T represents the idea of the students be tailored to reflect their own talents, interests, styles, and needs, and the O is in relation to the organization of understanding.
In conclusion I think teachers´ aim should be creating a class focusing on the learning first and then the teaching, where the last one should be guided by a good plan and that plan must consider the elements of the WHERETO and that could lead us to a successful class.
I agree that teachers must always be careful. according to planning, the way that we develop our lessons and the way we assess our students. The tools that we have must be taken into account as well.
ReplyDeleteI think you hit all the major points of the chapter. It's kind of hard not to agree with what the authors say, because they are basically just giving us tips and good ideas to concentrate more on the students' learning.
ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned, it's fundamental to focus our attention on our students' learning, thinkins about the process too, not only the product. The thing is that sometimes we are so worried about doing what the school thinks we should do or to trying to please some many people involved in this learning process that it's possible to lose our main purpose, which is our students' understanding and of course that they achieve meaningful learning.
ReplyDeleteIt's true that by reading this chapter we realize that what matters most is our students' learning process, but , are educational institutions aware of it, too?
ReplyDeleteI think institutions are aware of this fact, but they just do not do anything about it. This is closely connected to what the quote at the beginning says, institutions and teachers tend to do what is comfortable and familiar, not what can actually end up in good results. It's sad to admit it, but I feel it's the "ugly truth".
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that everything must be new; Techniques, methods or anything else. When we find the point where everything works as it is expected, we should be able to use that moment as much as possible, because sooner or later it will not work anymore (not in the same way at least) Innovation is a great tool, but we must learn to stop when needed too.
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