Unit Design Problem #5: Lack of Understanding Based Goals
Changing my focus to understanding instead of “checklists of facts” has really changed the environment in my classroom. Reading this part of “Solving 25 Problems in Unit Design” by McTighe and Wiggins (pages 11–14) gave me a clear perspective of just how much impact my change in focus has had. For me, it started with a frustration that my students were being just that, “students”. They were not “learners”. I was giving them projects and they had choice, but every project looked like it came from a cookie cutter. If I said give me 3–5 examples, I would get exactly 3 and they would be the bare minimum. Worse yet, a month later, when we were using this “knowledge” in a new way, I would be hard pressed to find anyone who could make the connection between the two applications. Knowledge was not being transferred and I didn’t like that. I had to make a change. Over time, I continually adjusted my rubrics and instructions to focus on reflection, making connections, and defending their choices. It became about quality instead of quantity. The project or activity is no longer the focus of my unit. The project and all learning activities are just a means to an end. The most important part of the unit is the reflection my learners put in their portfolio. To get to that point, they must do the project correctly. The project and activities are not graded. The reflections in their portfolio is what gets graded. Let’s say that I am in a unit that is covering the state standard: “Apply Newton’s third law of motion to various situations.” I could give a lecture over the third law with examples, then give my students a worksheet with a bunch of different examples to work through. We would wrap it up with a test that has more examples that students work out. This covers the material well and assesses them just fine with an opportunity for reassessment. The problem is that what they learned didn’t stay for long. I would find that by the very next unit, everything was gone. So I started giving projects that had them apply the third law and demonstrate it. There are so many ways to do this. We have done it with mouse trap race cars, rockets, and all kinds of other fun things. At the end of the project, they would either write a report or give a presentation. In the final piece they had to go over how the third law applied to this activity and how it would apply to other, unrelated events as well. I was making them test out and experience the learning. Then they had to explain it again. Finally they were transferring that to other situations. Unfortunately, when the next project came around they still were not able to connect the two without me doing all of the work for them. In then end, we had made progress, but not as much as I would expect or want. Now, we are doing the same activities and projects. The problem wasn’t with the activity. The problem was in what I was assessing. I was checking off that they applied the third law of motion to various situation. My learners did the same thing. They checked off that they did it. Here’s what I changed now. Like I said earlier, the activity itself is not graded. I do score it according to a rubric and give feedback. But the feedback is about the quality of the work. It is not a grade. Learners can get all the help they need to do the activity. I want them to seek out and ask for help. As professionals and adults we do that all the time. Along the way, learners post reflections of their progress in their portfolio. I give them prompts such as “explain something new you learned today” or “describe something that gave you problems and how you overcame it.” With these are photos, videos, and sketches to document their work. At the end, we have a final summarize reflection. In this reflection, learners tie together the previous reflections to tell the story of what they did throughout the project and why. Then they describe and show how the things they learned in the project relate to work they have done previously. They also have to relate this work to projects and learning that will be coming up in the future. I don’t give them these connections. It is up to the students to make the connection, explain it in their reflection, and defend their decision. Learners also have to explain how they will take what they have learned here and use it in life after graduation. I know that what I am presenting them with is important for their adult life. But, I want them to be crystal clear about it for themselves. My learners are now making their own meaning and understanding. This final reflection is what gets graded. My rubric focuses on the quality of their communication and reflection, the depth of understanding, and connections made. We have moved from collecting dots to connecting the dots. (Check out this post about that concept). I am now seeing my students get more out of their work than ever before. In addition, they are seeing the connections and the learning is staying with them. They are better able to transfer what they have learned to new situations. At the same time, the care and pride that goes into their work is growing. When I focused on understanding, everything changed.
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I'll be using a version of SCRUM Agile Development to help manage projects. In this plan, learners will have two weeks to get work done before being assessed. The basic idea is that each team member will have a specific user story/stories to complete in that window. At the end of the sprint, the app will be showing in class and discussed. From there. Any adjustments to user stories will happen and we will start another sprint.
New coders won't have specific code requirements for several weeks. Their first semester responsibility is a single page. They are learning and I want to give them time to acquire the skills they need as they work on the app. They will start with a lot of design work and user profile building before they get started on code. App Development is about solving problems. Code is just one of the tools used. One of the other key dimensions I am employing in my new Challenge Based course is the Everyone Can Create Curriculum. This will bring in dimensions of video, photography, drawing, and music.
The very first activity will be a short introduction video. This intro video will be used at the entry point of the learners' portfolios. They will be updating it each year. This video will introduce viewers to the learner and their goals for after high school. The second video will be a silent movie that explains the problem their app will be solving. I love this project. It makes the learners focus on their communication skills and truly understand the problem they are solving. Throughout all of these multi-media projects, learners will be learning new communication skills, pushing their creative boundaries, and becoming more well rounded designers. My initial concept for class is that all of my learners will be working on projects together. I have a list of projects for other teachers and people in our community. Each semester, the "final exam" is the agreed upon version of the app being accepted by both the client and the App Store.
My newer learners will take on the role of "Junior Developer." In the first semester, they will complete a single-view, interactive page of the app project. In the second semester, they will complete two pages that are interactive and transfer data back and forth between them. As they work on designing and developing their app, the skills and concepts they need to learn will be identified. They are free to explore this on their own, or use the Everyone Can Code curriculum I have set up on Schoology for them. Regardless, they are responsible for getting their app accepted in time. More advanced learners who have completed all of the first and second semester work will take on the role of "Senior Developer". These learners will mentor the Junior Developers on their team. In this "third" semester, they will have to complete four views that are connected and have data persistence. More importantly, I am holding them responsible for seeing to the development and success of their Junior Developer mentees. By this point, I know they can get their work done. I want them to start passing that knowledge and skill on to others. For the "fourth" semester, they have to complete eight pages that read/write data to the internet. I have a couple that are taking going to take a third year. These students, after they have met the first four semesters' requirements, will take on more of a managerial role. They are managing the teams, marketing, team development, and more. On the programming side, they are going to take the iOS app that they have been working on and create complimentary companion apps for macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and a website. That's the plan for now. As I talk with teachers around the country, I see a lot of innovation and progress in development of new and improved teaching methods. One area that seems to be missing though is in coding. For the most part, coding is still being taught in the same way it always has been. Students learn concepts, practice skills, and eventually, they get to work on projects. Why can't the same learning techniques be applied to coding?
I am working on making my App Development course Challenge Based. Evidence shows that Challenge Based Learning can lead to improved learning and performance in classes. There is no reason that the same can't be true for coding. To that end, I am working on revamping my entire program. In essence, I will be running the class just like a "Dev Shop". We will work on projects for actual clients, use a SCRUM project management method, and together develop strong coding skills. Stay tuned...
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About this blog pageThis is my blog covering the activities and results from my work teaching App Dev with Swift. Archives
February 2021
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