What I Learned About Myself and Curriculum Planning

OK, let’s admit that this semester was not ideal. There was some miscommunication and some missed opportunities to meet in person. At times, learning wasn’t easy. We could have used this as a reason to refuse to learn. But, what would that have proven? We would only be hurting ourselves.

I chose not to let the ‘bumps in the road’ impede my learning. In doing so, I realized that I really am passionate about learning. Many years ago, I won an award (in college) for being a lifetime learner. In the past couple years, I have doubted my enthusiasm for learning. I have wondered if I have become one of those people who are in class only for the salary bump received after completing the +30. It’s a difficult thing to admit.

This semester, learning was a challenge. We had to work to gain the necessary understandings. Heck! I often even had to work to understand what was being asked of us! But the reward was great. I have the self satisfaction of knowing that I really am passionate about learning. The determination and drive that was necessary to be successful in the class was something that has never been asked of me as a graduate student. I am excited to say: I STILL GOT IT!

This resilience will certainly benefit my future students and the teachers that I will someday work with. Additionally, my knowledge of curriculum development will be an asset as both a teacher and an administrator. In a previous blog, I explain how the New Teacher Project helped me to truly understand UBD. The experience of working with my group was also part of the learning process. In the past, I have tended to prefer to work by myself. I struggle with depending on people that I don’t know to complete portions of a project that are a reflection of my understandings (OK, some may consider me a control freak!). Obviously, the breadth of the New Teacher Project forced me to depend on my group members. I learned that this didn’t hinder the process. Instead, it enhanced the depth of our final product. Each member of our group played an important role in completing the program. We worked cooperatively, bouncing ideas off one another and using each other to build a better program than any one of us could have built individually. Our ideas meshed to produce a program that is comprehensive and would certainly benefit any new teacher. The cohesiveness of our group was reflected in our final product, which I am very proud of!

Reflecting on the NT Curriclum Development Project

The New Teacher Project was an excellent performance assessment. We learned how to use backward design to create a curriculum by experiencing the process. There is no better way to gain the necessary understandings! We experienced UBD in a safe environment. We tried, made mistakes, and were able to adjust based on feedback. If we had tried this at school, the feedback we would have been failed lessons, parent complaints or, worst yet, missed opportunities for student learning. Instead, we gained our experience with Understanding By Design in the classroom. Understand By Design is the type of concept that can only truly be comprehended in practice. Although Wiggins and McTighe have done am excellent job explaining the process and the significance of each step, it is impossible to truly understand the process unless you have struggled through it. Wiggins and McTighe make it seem easy and natural! It is much more complicated when you are doing it rather than reading about doing it. Creating the New Teacher Program allowed me to understand the importance of each step in the process and its relationship to the others. The dependence of the steps is what makes the design so powerful! It all ‘came together’ when our first draft was complete. Considering the program as a whole allowed us to realize how we could improve it. Then, updating each of the related components emphasized the interdependence of the entire program. I am proud to say that each portion of our final product reflected our mission, essential questions and understandings! WE UNDERSTAND UBD – FINALLY!