Discussion 4b

o Kathyrn ~ I liked the way you summed up UbD. I particularly appreciated your statement "the end goal of UbD is understanding and the ability to transfer learnings – to appropriately connect, make sense of, and use discrete knowledge and skills in context. Evidence of understanding is revealed through performance – when learners transfer knowledge and skills effectively, using one or more “facets” (explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, empathize, and self-assess)." I always feel a sense of success when my students can connect one bit of learning to another situation. For instance a student was trying to solve an equation and another student explained it to her using symmetry from a geometry lesson. I agree that planning with units is best done backwards just as with most trips. Once you know where you are headed, you can plan where to stop and what to see along they way with your eye always on the final destination. I have finally begun to put together the assessment I plan to use before I begin planning the lessons and activities to achieve the goal of the assessment.