"The most important thing that schools can do is not to use technology in the curriculum more, but to use it more effectively."
John G. Palfrey and Urs Gasser
www.geckoandfly.com
Aligning Outcomes, Assessment, and Activities
There are different theories when it comes to designing a curriculum. Many districts today follow a backward design model where we start with the end in sight. We must know what our end goal is before we decide how to navigate the journey there. Although the model I present follows most models, it also incorporates other elements to ensure we include active learning and create a significant learning environment (Fink, 2003).
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The unit plan presented will support my Innovation Plan that proposes a blended learning environment that promotes literacy skills in a primary school setting. This blended learning model will provide students with choice, ownership of their learning, voice, and authentic learning opportunities. Courses that demonstrate high quality should begin with a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) so that everyone, including the learner, understands the final destination of their learning. Not only does the BHAG inform the learner where they will land but also why arriving to that destination is important (Harapnuik, 2016).
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The BHAG for this unit on literary fiction is for students to be able to describe plot elements such as the main events, conflict, and resolution for texts read aloud and independently using student choice, collaboration, technology, critical thinking, and self-reflection to help them grow as self-directed learners.
Situational Factors
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When designing a curriculum plan for a course, it is important to identify situational factors that could affect a course (Fink, 2003). Below I have identified important situational factors specific to my current classroom setting.
Learning Goals
This section focuses on what the students should learn. Multiple levels of learning should be including and should go beyond "understand and remember" (Fink, 2003).
3-Column Table
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Utilizing a 3-column table ensures students know what they are expected to learn, how they will demonstrate they have achieved the learning goals, and the activities they will participate in to reach their goals (Fink, 2003).
Connection to Blended Learning Innovation Plan
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This planning process has been vital in ensuring that students will be engaging in a significant learning environment. The plan focuses on the learning taking place instead of focusing on the technology being used in a blended learning environment. Creating significant learning environments involves active learning where students can experience their learning in place of only absorbing knowledge. In doing this, students are able to follow their passions and can work as a collective to problem solve (Thomas & Brown, 2011). Since this table incorporates the Taxonomy of Significant Learning, the goals, learning activities, and assessments all align with each other and all kinds of significant learning (Fink, 2003). The slides below demonstrate how the six kinds of significant learning align with my Innovation Plan.
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(Fink, 2003).
​Students will have opportunities to participate in a blended learning environment that offers all of the COVA (choice, ownership, voice, and authentic learning) components (Harapnuik, 2018).
References
Fink, L.D., (2003). A self directed guide to designing courses for significant learning.
Jossey-Bass.
Harapnuik, D. (2018, July 14). COVA. It's About Learning.
https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6991
Harapnuik, D. (2018, February 13). COVA approach. [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ft__0LE3qQ
Thomas, D. and Brown, J.S. (2011) A new culture of learning. Cultivating the imagination
for a world of constant change.