Backward Mapping and Sequential Unit Planning
Overview:
Quality planning is the difference between success and stress!
This workshop will focus on a time-efficient process for creating unit outlines and designing explicit tasks.
Powerful unit planning begins with a clear and articulated purpose for the unit that complies with the relevant syllabuses. Ideally, the unit should provide students with a clear sense of direction from the outset by providing an overarching question / task, supported with carefully crafted exercises and tools to enable students to address the formative and summative assessment requirements. The key junctures should be identified for feedback purposes.
Time: 90 minutes - Full Day
A. Sequential Unit Planning
• Designing the BIG question - what is the overarching question / task for the unit?
• Designing sequential tasks for the different levels of thinking - creating the spine of a unit.
• Checking for engagement and purpose - 3 key questions
• Re-designing the BIG question
B. Unit Planning Support
• How will the students organise their research? Supporting students with aligned thinking tools for each task. Presenter to provide examples
• Identifying the key junctures
• Providing meaningful feedback early, often and sustainably
• Types of Feedback: Teacher to student, guided student to student, guided self-assessment
• Feedback tools: Feedback Summary Crib Sheet, First Impression, Exemplar Rustler, Think Changer
Supporting research
High Impact Teaching Strategies - Excellence in Teaching and Learning, 2017
- Scaffolding - planned sequencing, specific steps / activities - effect size: 0.53
- Metacognition strategies – planning and evaluating progress – effect size: 0.69
- Feedback – student performance / learning goals - effect size: 0.73
Note: An effect size of 1.0 would improve the rate of learning by 50% and would mean that, on average, students receiving that treatment would exceed 84% of students not receiving that treatment.