Preliminary+Exploration+of+3+Instructional+Models

The following are notes from committee members who reviewed each of the three instructional models presented on 12-13-10.

 * Dimensions of Learning **
 * Terminology is concise and easily understandable and useable
 * Attitude and perceptions, great aspect
 * This program includes the “human element” as well as the academic piece of each child; climate and personal, too!
 * Addresses the whole of the school experience
 * Lots of new vocabulary (daunting)
 * The amount of personal narrative per lesson is extensive
 * Attitude and perceptions shape the climate of the classroom
 * Difficult to get older students to buy in to this concept
 * The amount of time involved as an elementary teacher is monumental teaching all subjects
 * Require extensive training, the how
 * Unit plans look HUGE
 * Sites classroom examples
 * Guide “How to teach higher level thinking skills”
 * Not as prescriptive
 * Common language is user friendly
 * Easier to implement, already doing in a classroom
 * All learning is thinking is the premise of the program
 * Overview could be used to introduce model to staff, different dimensions with activities
 * Training manual – scripts, varied activities, model the model; 4-day intro suggested
 * Like Dimension 1, good use of examples of how to build critical thinking, does not address how to identify things to assess
 * Compares different types of knowledge, declarative and procedural
 * DOL has a huge affective piece
 * Dimensions 3&4 higher order thinking skills, long term meaning derived
 * Modeling the model, training manual replicates teacher’s manual
 * 4 full days plus study teams format, 2 two-day segments or 4 one-day segments
 * Emphasis on attitudes and perceptions


 * Understanding by Design **
 * Time intensive to “think’ of the big idea and learning activities, SAS could be a useful tool
 * Small group approach
 * Backward planning, requires discussion about core ideas and desired end results
 * Like the follow through for learning objectives to be sure they are part of the essential questions – gives value
 * Similar format to SAS and what we have been doing
 * Complex – seems like more planning and thinking strategies needed to implement
 * The organization of the book is not easy to read or understand
 * Seems very theory based
 * Emphasis on performance tasks, time-consuming to assess and present
 * Complex framework
 * Easy to follow template
 * Time intensive, requires extensive thought time upfront
 * More conceptual than other programs, requires more thought, would require more professional development to implement
 * Better suited for secondary, Could we have a K-6 and 7-12 model? UbD 7-12, LFS K-6
 * Focuses on big ideas, focuses on the design, rather than the implementation
 * Outcomes-based educational frameworks, start with the end result and plan to implement
 * Takes time to build, useful for K-12 curriculum, important to articulate between grade levels
 * Big ideas, essential questions – when and how, performance assessment based, lots of theory
 * Common shared language
 * Like the template; fits SAS easier
 * Theoretical, over-thinking, too much detail
 * Final assessment, allows for clear understanding of what you want taught to new teachers that starting with the exams is very important
 * K-12 curriculum mapping, required time for implementation
 * Too detail oriented, but in theory a good idea
 * Templates are very complex and time to complete is significant
 * Not as teacher-friendly, common vocab. to SAS
 * Most staff may struggle with ambiguity, maybe have only a few staff work on this portion
 * How students are graded
 * Bringing your focus toward what actually needs to be taught
 * Templates cause teachers to delve into the reason to deliver instruction in a certain way
 * Feedback form with self assessment

**Learning Focused Schools**

 * Implement over 3 years, every teacher using every strategy in every lesson? What??
 * Implementation map
 * Very organized overview, page 18 describes good section on the levels of learning, heavy on graphic organizers
 * Many familiar elements, essential questions, student learning maps support essential questions and standards, one essential question in a lesson, Know-Understand-Do
 * Strong visual organizers
 * Forms easy to use, will not need a lot of training to fill out unit plans/assessment plans
 * Clear expectations, know-understand-do, great way to represent objectives
 * Rubric for students and teachers
 * Seems more doable for teaching 450 people who all need to be on the same page
 * Love the unit examples and student maps, lots of organizers to help guide
 * Activates prior knowledge to extend thinking
 * Has research based instructional strategies, extending thinking, summarizing, vocab in text, advanced organizers, non-verbal representation
 * Includes lesson plan format, acquisition lessons with purpose, tools, strategies
 * Acquisition lesson plan template provides solid structure for lesson plans, very useful
 * Teacher-friendly material
 * I like how it provides concepts that can be applied to any lesson, example: acquisition lessons for new information
 * Uses language of the state, example: essential questions
 * Includes implementation plan at end of book with timelines and professional development
 * Problem solves potential problems
 * Know-understand-do, how to connect text content to standards/essential questions
 * I like how it gives examples and breaks them down to teachable components
 * Lots of examples to follow
 * Good examples of higher level activities, common vocabulary familiar to teachers, good graphic organizers
 * Very organizational and user friendly after the time has been taken to train each other
 * Using writing throughout all subjects
 * Lesson plan template too much work planning at elementary level
 * Overall unit essential questions broken down to lesson essential questions
 * Organizational component
 * Takes essential question as a starting point specific steps to reach understanding
 * Acquisition levels of learning, assessment drives instruction
 * Keep an open mind, be able to extend what you know and how you perceive it and then apply Know-Understand-Do
 * Schools should implement 2-4 strategies consistently; although adapting the model is encouraged
 * Know-Understand-Do organizer, 5 student beliefs that free/limit learning, student learning maps
 * 90% of what we both say and do
 * User friendly language, templates
 * Templates are very good, they are easy to personalize to class or subject
 * One key to success for implementing Learning Focused is to adapt what you learn to fit your teaching style and students
 * Learning focus is tied to observation/evaluation with rubric-alter what we have, p. 238
 * Know-Understand-Do easy to write objectives, we already do this, includes common assessments
 * Three-year implementation plan, online toolbox
 * Hands-on templates information