Two complementary ASCD programs—Understanding by Design and Dimensions of Learning (the latter codeveloped with Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, or McREL)—can help educators ensure that their students master higher-order skills, said John Brown, director of program development for Prince George's County, Md., and coauthor of the recent ASCD book The Hero's Journey: How Educators Can Transform Schools and Improve Learning.
Understanding by Design (UBD) offers a "design template" for planning curriculum, instruction, and assessment that promote higher-order learning, Brown explained, and Dimensions of Learning (DOL) provides instructional strategies that help teachers achieve the same goal.
"There are a lot of connections between DOL and UBD," Brown said. "Both programs are based on the premise that it's not enough for today's students to simply recall or parrot information—they need to be able to apply it." Both programs also emphasize "planning with the end in mind," he said. In other words, both programs encourage educators to ask themselves up front: "What do we want students to know, do, and understand as a result of their learning experiences?" Only when they have a clear answer to this question should educators begin to plan assessments and, finally, learning activities.
DOL sets forth several "nonnegotiable principles" for creating a good classroom, Brown said. The program encourages teachers to
- Be sensitive to the attitudes and perceptions that students bring to their learning.
- Identify a true core curriculum, with clearly identified declarative and procedural knowledge.
- Teach students cognitive skills and teach for deep understanding.
- Involve students in real-world problem solving and decision making.
- Help students develop productive habits of mind and become lifelong learners.
Understanding by Design
UBD is "unique," Brown said, in that the learning outcomes it poses are not just traditional cognitive objectives but "essential questions," such as What is a system? or What is a hero?
After helping educators clearly identify learning outcomes, UBD helps them reflect on what evidence would prove that students had achieved the outcomes, Brown explained. To help teachers assess higher-order thinking, UBD emphasizes the importance of performance assessments—such as culminating projects, oral presentations, and defenses of work—and real-world audiences.
To help educators design instructional activities, UBD promotes two key concepts:
- Curriculum as story. Units that are designed with a narrative, real-world roles, roadblocks, and resolution, Brown said, are as engaging to students as "a good mystery story."
- The WHERE model, which encourages teachers to
- Give students a sense of Where the work is headed.
- Get students Hooked by presenting an intriguing issue, scenario, or puzzle.
- Equip students with required knowledge and skills and help them experience key ideas.
- Encourage students to Revisit and rethink—to monitor their own comprehension and improve their work products.
- Make students an active part of Evaluation. Have them ask themselves "Am I getting this?"
Both DOL and UBD look to the past for the best models, Brown said, but also "foreshadow" the future focus of education, which will be on independent inquiry.