UbDDI+Chapter+1

Abstract
Chapter one in UbD and DI provided information on exactly what Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction is and gave examples of them being used in a classroom. Every student in a classroom is going to be different, whether it is their learning style or culture. Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design can be applied to all students based on their learning styles and how much they know on a certain subject or content area. As the chapter states, “quality classrooms evolve around powerful knowledge that works for each student” (3). The knowledge being presented in a classroom not only has to be explained in a way so that every student can understand it but they also have to be given different routes of expressing this knowledge.

Reflection
Every teacher is different so therefore they are going to incorporate UbD and DI in different ways and focus on certain methods more than others. UbD and DI can be applied in a classroom many different ways. One way is to assess the students before a unit begins to see how much they do or do not know about the unit and go from there. Another is to [|provide choices] on how to present knowledge on a certain project or assignment, children can choose to act something out or create a poster depending on what best suits them. The children in a classroom are going to be diverse so everything in the class has to [|offer options]. As a teacher one has to use different methods of teaching to reach out to all students and the students need to have choices in the classroom. A teacher needs to recognize all the students differences and structure the class around these differences. Teachers have to teach in different ways and students have to learn in different ways.

Rachel B.
Chapter One: UBD and DI, An Essential Partnership This chapter did a nice job of giving an overview of UbD and DI. Something that stood out to me was a quote, “Understanding by Design focuses on what we teach and what assessment evidence we need to collect. Its primary goal is delineating and guiding application of sound principles of curriculum design. It also emphasizes how we teach, particularly ways of teaching for students understanding (p. 2).” This made a lot of sense to me, and with this is mind, “focusing on who we teach, where we teach, and how we teach (3), I will find insight on what makes a good teacher.

Jen T.
This chapter helped to explain exactly what UbD and DI are because after last classes readings, I was still a little confused. The two words that really jumped out from the beginning were instruction and curriculum. The axioms and corollaries made a lot of sense to me, especially after looking up the definition for axiom and corollary. Axiom 5 was the most interesting. I liked how Mr. Axelt provided different “routes” for the students to take based on their learning difficulty for the subject. I would definitely incorporate something like that into my classroom but make sure that every student completed the same amount of work, no matter their level of understanding.

Sara Cole
Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design: Chapter 1

I learned the crucial partnership of ‘differentiated instruction” and “understanding by design”. These two philosophies work in perfect tandem in hopes of creating a stimulating and diversified learning environment. “Differentiated instruction” has corollaries or key concepts that define each aspect, and the “understanding by design” philosophy has complimentary concepts or axioms. It is necessary to have a strong curriculum, this necessity is provided by the “understanding by design” method. In order to make the curriculum successful it needs to reach all learners regardless of learning styles or other differences, “differentiated instruction” solves this need. I never thought very much about the different aspects of curriculum design and implementation. The corollaries and axioms lay out guidelines succinctly and serve as a good guide to successful curriculum building. In the future I will use these ideas to create a multi-dimensional and strong curriculum that will hopefully bridge ability and learning style gaps.

John Thomas
Maintaining a balance between Differentiated Instruction and strong, challenging curriculum is crucial to the understanding of the students. There may be many ways in which we are prepared to teach students of all learning types, but if the curriculum becomes overshadowed by this approach, the students will not be learning enough. All of the examples given of classroom application exhibit a safe learning environment and a multitude of opportunities for students to develop their understanding in the way that is best for them. Encouraging the students to make their own choices about their method of work allows them to develop their ideas at their own pace. Less advanced students are given the opportunity to focus on imperative details and are graded on the topic coverage. These examples are important references for creating lesson plans in our own classrooms. Specific ideas for instruction are given with a background set of guidelines and goals, yet as the chapter says, the principles are neither binding nor set in stone. The examples are a good starting point for integrating these methods.

Rachel F.
Chapter 1: UbD and DI: An Essential Partnership really made me realize how you cannot really have a successful classroom unless you incorporate both Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction together. I learned that you can have the absolute best curriculum in the country in your classroom but if you only teach it in a way that one type of learner can learn it then it is completely useless. Also, your classroom can have some of the most sophisticated differentiated instruction but without a solid, meaningful curriculum, you have nothing. This chapter impacted me because it made me see how important each component of teaching is. There is not some handbook out there that teaches people how to teach with three easy steps. It is incredibly complex and it allowed me to realize this fact. This new knowledge will definitely better my classroom because I will remember to keep in mind the different components that both need to be applied. Of course it is immensely important to have rich curriculum but it is equally important to be aware of the many different styles of learning out there.

Courtney T.
This chapter presented the fact that the students within a classroom may vary greatly when it comes to their learning capabilities and where they are at in the course. For me this was very interesting because normally, or at least where I went to high school, the advanced kids would sign up for advanced classes and the kids that may be a little behind would have a certain class and then everyone else in between would too. In all the scenarios presented in this chapter the teacher had every kind of student imaginable in one classroom and had to adjust to each and every need where different homework assignments and ways of presenting ideas were needed. I feel that adjusting to every students needs may be very challenging, for the plain fact that grouping kids of the same level together may cause issues. I want to know where the line is drawn between adjusting to a students needs and simply labeling them because of their capabilities because it can be a touchy subject.

Karin
I learned the difference between Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction from this chapter. Understanding by Design is used in designing curriculum, whereas Differentiated Instruction is used in developing instructional methods that reach each individual. This information will have a great impact on my classroom and my teaching methods because utilizing these tools is crucial to being an effective teacher. By outlining the important information that will enable my students to learn and designing differentiated teaching methods to meet each student’s needs, I can reach each and every one of my students, which, of course, is the ultimate goal.

Stephanie L.
Before reading this chapter, I would not have been able to determine the difference between Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction. After reading it, the difference is somewhat clear to me. UbD is the “what” and “how” of teaching. It focuses on content and assessment and how the two work together to allow for an overall understanding of the material. For UbD, curriculum is the key. DI, on the other hand is more about the “who” and “how” of teaching. It focuses on the audience and how the lesson needs to be altered to allow each student to learn at his or her own pace. For DI, it’s all about instruction. Reading the scenarios for the axioms and corollaries helped me to understand how UbD and DI work together. The axioms of UbD work as a foundation for the corollaries of DI which make up the support system that allows for all students to be successful. The main thing that I took out of this chapter is the importance of having multiple options when it comes time to doing tasks. This way, each student can choose the path that makes the most sense for them and allow them to reach their fullest potential. Providing options such as individual vs. partner work, choose 4 out of the following 7 questions to answer, etc. gives students a sense of control over what they are doing because they chose to do it.

Jen P.
I learned that whom I am teaching and what I am teaching my students are two of the most important factors in my classroom. All students learn differently and are at different levels in their capabilities. I like that some parts of the chapter encourage giving students choices (p. 9). When given a choice, if only to pick the less disagreeable of two options, students often seem more inclined to complete whatever task is ahead. I hope to include choices into as much of my teaching as possible; as long as choice is combined with guidance from me, I have high hopes that my tactics will promote learning.

Geoff
Chapter 1 of UbD/DI provides an explanation for why Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction should be combined together. Tomlinson and McTighe first begin by explaining the four elements that teachers must attend to in their classrooms: whom, where, what, and how they teach (page 2). They go on to explain that apart, UbD and DI do not cover all four of these elements, but together they do. They then provide seven “axioms,” each having a series of “corollaries” demonstrating how they go together. I can not say that any of these axioms “jumped out” at me; things like “The primary goal of quality curriculum design is to develop and deepen student understanding” are simply common-sense (page 4). Some of the other axioms, which call for review and adjustment of curricula based on student achievement (Axiom 4), are things we have been learning at UMF. Furthermore, I would have preferred if Tomlinson and McTighe had included some sort of introduction into UbD and DI somewhere in this introductory chapter.

Jordan
Chapter 1 “UbD and DI: An Essential Partnership” Wanting to someday become a history teacher, I really like the idea of assessing the students knowledge and understanding before each unit and using other forms of reassessment during the unit to chart progress. In a history class, this would be very helpful. After a while, certain topics become very repetitive and are taught in depth year after year. Having the students complete pre-unit assessments can allow the teacher to alter and guide instruction during the unit. I think that this is definitely an idea I will use in my future classroom. It is a good way to learn what your students already know and what is new to them.

Stephanie P.
 “UbD and DI: An Essential Partnership” In this chapter, the book explains how Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction are related and why the two should be combined in the classroom. They are “not only mutually supportive of one another but in fact ‘need’ one another” (page 2). The two are related because of what teachers are attending to in the classroom: “whom they teach, where they teach, what they teach, and how they teach” (page 2). Understanding by Design deals with the curriculum and how a teacher teaches. Differentiated Instruction deals with who, where and how we teach. Seeing that they are intertwined and deal with what teachers attend to every day is a sure sign that they should be linked in a classroom. From this chapter I learned more about what each model dealt with and the main goals for each. This will help me with my future classroom because I will know not to just focus on one model, because then the students will be missing out on a different type of learning.

Megan
UbD and Di: An Essential Relationships

Chapter 1 made the distinction between UbD and DI. Ubd focuses more on what we teach and how we teach where as DI focuses on whom we teach, where we teach, and how we teach. UbD is used to aid in curriculum design. DI is used to create different processes for different individual’s to learn. It’s easy to see how the two are indubitably entwined in the learning process. The chapter also talks about curriculum and how if you have this great curriculum that’s wonderful for you but you need to be flexible with it. You need to know how to teach the curriculum more than one way. The scenarios given try to show us how to do this. Mr. Axelt has a class of 32 students with a range of different learning levels and styles and somehow needs to meet all their needs. He did this by giving them choices of what to work on, the option of mini-sessions, time for reflection, the option of working alone or with other, etc.

Tracey Hollingsworth
"UbD and DI: An Essential Partnership"

Creating an effective classroom where every student learns is the ultimate goal of a teacher. However, considering an increasing variance among students, that task is easier said than done. Accommodating a lesson based on ability, experience, interest, and learning style is a crucial element of being a successful educator. Therefore, teachers use models such as Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction in hope of having every student develop to their full potential. Simply put, Understanding by Design focuses on curriculum while Differentiated Instruction focuses on instruction. Individually, neither would create an effective classroom but when used jointly, they are a complimentary pair that assists educators in concentrating on whom we teach, where we teach, how we teach, and what we teach. By creating axioms and corollaries that explain the partnership of UbD and DI, and providing real classroom scenarios, this book clearly explains the benefits and uses of the UbD and DI models.