Twoteachers’comprehensions,perceptions,anduseofUnderstandingbyDesign

JasonMartelUniversityofMinnesotaACTFLAnnualConven7on11/18/11

Objectiveofstudy

  TounderstandhowWigginsandMcTighe’s(2005)UnderstandingbyDesignframework(henceforthUbD)isconsideredandappliedinatradi7onalforeignlanguagecontext

Rationale

  Noempiricalstudyofthisframework

  Usedalloverthecountryinschoolsofeduca7onandprofessionaldevelopmentprograms

  Althoughthisstudy’spar7cipantsareuniversity‐levelinstructors,theresultsareextendabletoK–12contexts,inwhichUbDismorecommonlyused

Valuepremises

  Ibelievethat:  Foreignlanguagesarebestlearnedthroughcontent,

whichgivesanauthen7cpurposetoforeignlanguageuseintheclassroom(Cammarata,2009;2010;Lyster,2011;Snow,Met,&Genesee,1989)

  UbDisanexci7ngframeworkthatcanhelpforeignlanguageteacherstointegratecontentintotheircurricula

  Tradi7onalforeignlanguageteachingneedstomoveawayfromform‐focusedpedagogiestoonesthatcontextualizefocusonformwithinapredominantfocusonmeaning(Tedick&Walker,1994)

WhatisUbD?

  WhathaveyouheardaboutUbD?Haveyouuseditbefore?Ifso,whatwasitlike?

WhatisUbD?

  Acurriculumdevelopmentframeworkbasedonconstruc7vistprinciplesthatlinksplanning,assessment,andteaching

  Aninversionofthetradi7onalapproachtocurriculum‐planning  Stage1:iden7fydesiredresults  Stage2:determineacceptableevidence  Stage3:planlearningexperiencesandinstruc7on

  Keyconcepts:bigideas,enduringunderstandings,essen7alques7ons,sixfacetsofunderstanding,GRASPS,WHERETO

UbDandforeignlanguage

  ForeignlanguageiscommonlyreferredtoinUbDasa“skill‐focusedarea”(Wiggins&McTighe,2005,p.112);thistypeofdescrip7oncanreinforcepedagogiesthattreatlanguageasanobjectratherthanasubjectformeaningfulcommunica7on(Tedick&Walker,1994)

  Foreignlanguageeduca7onismovingawayfromobject‐focusedpedagogies(e.g.,grammartransla7on)towardscommunica7veonesthatprovideopportuni7esforexchangesofmeaningfulinforma7on(Richards&Rodgers,2001)

  Theessen7alques7onsexamplesprovidedinUbDseemtoimplydiscussioninstudents’na7velanguage,forexample:  “Whatdis7nguishesafluentforeignerfromana7vespeaker?”  “Whatcanwelearnaboutourownlanguageandculturefrom

studyinganother?”(McTighe&Wiggins,2004,p.89)

Researchquestions

  Whatarethepar7cipants’percep7onsofUbD,inpar7cularconcerningitsviabilityforforeignlanguageteaching?

  WhatimpacthasUbDhadontheirteaching?

Methodology/methods

  Casestudymethodology(Creswell,2007;Merriam,2009;Stake,1995,2000)

  Purposefulsampling(Paion,2002);par7cipantsinvolvedinacourseonforeign/secondlanguagecurriculumdesignusingUbD

  Qualita7vedatacollec7onmethods:observa7ons,interviews,anddocuments(Merriam,2009)

  Mul7plecasestudy(Stake,1995,2000;Yin,2008)

  Qualita7vecodingtechniques,cross‐caseanalysis(Creswell,2007;Merriam,2009)

Case#1:Antonia

  TeachesItalianatauniversityinanadjunctposi7on

  WasteachingfirstandthirdsemesterItalianat7meofstudyandwasusinganewtextbookforfirstsemestercoursecalledAvan1(Aski&Musumeci,2009)

  IsanItalianna7ve

  Experiencedform‐focusedinstruc7onwhileini7allylearningsecondlanguages(English,La7n,German)

  IscurrentlyworkingtowardsaM.A.inCurriculum&Instruc7onwithafocusonforeignlanguageeduca7on;hastakenseveralclassesinforeign/secondlanguageteachingandlearningattheuniversity

Case#2:Loretta

  TeachesItalianatuniversityinanadjunctposi7on

  WasteachingfirstandfourthsemesterItalianat7meofstudyandwasusinganewtextbookforfirstsemestercoursecalledAvan1(Aski&Musumeci,2009)

  IsanItalianna7ve

  Experiencedform‐focusedinstruc7onwhileini7allylearningsecondlanguages(French,English,German)

  IscurrentlyworkingtowardsaM.A.inCurriculum&Instruc7onwithafocusonforeignlanguageeduca7on;hastakenseveralclassesinforeign/secondlanguageteachingandlearningattheuniversity

Morecontext

  AntoniaandLoreiawerebothenrolledinasecond/foreignlanguagecurriculumdesigncourseatthe7meofthestudy  Theyreadpor7onsoftheUbDtext,notall(thiswastheir

introduc7ontoUbD)  Thecoursefocusedoncontent‐basedinstruc7on(CBI)  Thecoursealsoexposedthemtoothercurricular

frameworkssuchasStollerandGrabe’s(1997)“SixTs”framework

  Giventhiscontext,thepar1cipants’percep1ons/useofUbDinthisstudymustbeconsideredinrela1ontousewithCBI

Theme#1:Variedtake‐aways

  Thepar7cipantsexpresseddifferenttake‐aways  Antonia:bigideas

  Morethanjustlanguageforms  A“frame”ora“path”

  Loreia:assessment  Thinkaboutassessmentinanewway  Alignclassroomac7vi7eswithassessments;wentbackto

testssheuses

  Aninteres7ngphenomenongiventheirclosecollabora7on/thesimilarityofinputtheyexperienced  Linesupwiththeconceptofmul7plepointsofentry

(bothmen7onedthisconceptintheirinterviews)

Theme#1:Variedtake‐aways

  Antonia:“WhatdoIwantthestudenttolearnattheendofthis?WhatdoIwantthemtoknow?ThatthereisPradaandGucciandArmani?OrdoIwanttomakethemthinkmorewhyinItalyisitsoimportanttobewelldressed?WhydoItaliansliketobewelldressed?What’sbehindthat?Whatdoesitshowabouttheirmentality,theirwayoftheirwayofthinkingaboutfashion?”

Theme#1:Variedtake‐aways

  Jason:“WhenyouthinkbacktoUbD,whatarethefirstthingsthatcometomindforyou?”

  Loreia:“Assessment,becausethat’snotthewayIusedtothink;Ididn’tusedtothinkinthoseterms.”

Theme#2:Implementationconcerns

  Thepar7cipantsexpressedthatUbD:  “…mademethinkdifferently…it’smorelikemyline

ofthinkingisdifferent.”(Loreia)  Haspoten7alinforeignlanguageteaching(Loreia)  Requiresadifferentwayofusingthetextbook

(Antonia)

  Theyalsoexpressed:  Aneedforconcreteexamples  Thattheywereexcitedtouseprojecttheycreated,if

possible

Theme#2:Implementationconcerns

  Jason:“IsthereanythingaboutUbDthatyoucouldusewhilealsousingAvan1thetextbook?”

  Loreia:“Wecanalwaysstartthinkingabouttheassessmentfirstandthengoingbacktotheac7vity…Someofthethingsyoucanapplynomaierwhatyoudo,nomaierwhattextbookyouhave,aslongasyoucanreallycoverthesyllabusandthattherearenottoomanyincongrui7es.”

Theme#2:Implementationconcerns

  Jason:“HowdoyouperceiveUbDasafitwithatextbooklikeAvan1?”

  Antonia:“Youcoulduse[Avan1]asthereferenceforthestudents…RatherthanjustdoingthechapterasitisinAvan1actuallyplanaunitonthatandthenyoutakefromAvan1thepartsandintegrateyourunit…WeuseAvan1asasupplement,asatool,butnotasamain.”

Theme#3:Wholekitandkaboodle

  Thepar7cipantscarriedoutafewminorimplementa7onsinprac7ce,e.g.,pilo7ngofunitforfourth‐semesterclass

  TheiremailssuggestthatUbDhasnotsignificantlyaffectedtheirprac7ce

  Thissuggeststhatforthem“doing”UbDinvolvesusingaproduct(e.g.,aunit)initsen7rety

Theme#3:Wholekitandkaboodle

  Antonia:“AsImen7onedtoyoutheothernight,myonlyconcernisthatmylessonsarefollowingasyllabusdevelopedbythecoordinators.ThereforeIdon'thavemuchopportunitytomodifythelessonplans,inboththeclassesIteach.Ifyouthinkthisisnotanissueforyourstudy,thenitwillbefuntohelpyou.”

Theme#3:Wholekitandkaboodle

  Loreia:“Iwillbehappytopar7cipateinyourstudy;however,myonlyconcernisifIcanreallyhelp,becausethingshaven’tchangedmuchinthecurriculumofthesecondyear,sinceonlythefirstsemesterofthefirstyearhasbeenrevised.Icouldimplementpartofaunitinmy[fourthsemester]class,whenIworkedonaprojectlastsemester(intheCurriculumDesignclass),butotherthanthatourprogramdoesn’tfollowthebackwarddesignatthismoment.”

Implications

  WhatdothefindingsofthisstudymeanforusingUbDinforeignlanguageteaching?

Implications

  ProvidemodelsofforeignlanguageUbDunits  Wealsoneedsomewayofsharingonesthatare

made,e.g.,MCTLCSwapShop  Looktootherdisciplines’modelsintheUbDtext

  Developstrategiesforimplemen7ngUbDinprac7ceinababystepsratherthanawholekitandkaboodleway  Explodethemesoftextbookswithenduring

understandings,essen7alques7ons,supplementarytexts,performanceassessments

Implications

  Fostercollabora7onswithteachersinotherdepartmentsinschool  Co‐developmentofcurricularunits  Content‐relatedteaching(Curtain&Dahlberg,2010;

Na7onalStandardsinForeignLanguageEduca7onProject,1999)

  Moredifficultattheuniversitylevel,accordingtoLoreia

  Providesustainedprofessionaldevelopmentopportuni7es

UbDandCBI

  CBIisrecommendedinACTFL’sProgramstandardsfortheprepara1onofforeignlanguageteachers(ACTFL,2002);itisa“hottopic”inforeignlanguageteaching,andteachersintradi7onalcontextsneedtoworkouthowtoappropriateit

  TheuseofUbD/CBIisadras7cdeparturefromhowforeignlanguagesaretaughtinmostschools(cf.Tedick&Cammarata,2010);weneedtodevelopstrategiesforappropria7ngboth

  UbDcanfacilitatethecrea7onofcontent‐basedthema7cunits;itcanbeusedasatooltohelpimplementCBI

  ModelsfromotherdisciplinesaremorehelpfulforCBI,suchastheNutri7onUnit

Aparticularconcern

  LackofcontentknowledgewhenUbD/CBIareusedtogether(cf.Cammarata,2009;Pessoaetal.,2007)  Wingingit/relyingonintui7on

  Stayingonthesurface

  Lookingtootherdisciplines’standards(content‐relatedinstruc7on)

  Matchingcontenttocogni7velevelofstudents

  Fosteringcollabora7onswithteacherselsewhereinschool

Acontentknowledgeexample

  Atrue/falseac7vityfromaFrenchclassItaughtthispastsummer  Thetropicalrainforestisn’tindanger

  Globalwarmingisaresultofthepopula7on/humanac7vity

  Airpollu7oninci7esbeganinthe20thcentury

  Agriculturecontributestowaterpollu7on

  Wehavereducedthegreenhouseeffect

  Oceanleveliscurrentlyrising

Futureresearch

  HowshouldwestudyUbD?  Surveysandcasestudiesofforeignlanguageteachersand

teachereducators  Avarietyoflevels,especiallyimplementa7oninlower‐

level/ter7arysetngs

  Linkwithteachercogni7ons(Borg,2006)  Knowledgebaseforteaching  Teachers’beliefsaboutforeignlanguageteachingand

learning

  Weneedtostartaconversa7onaboutUbDandforeignlanguageteaching/learning

Questions?Comments

  Pleasefeelfreetocontactmewithanyfurtherques7ons/comments:  marte145@umn.edu

  ThisPowerPointisavailablefordownloadat:  …..

References

  AmericanCouncilontheTeachingofForeignLanguages(ACTFL).(2002).Programstandardsfortheprepara1onofforeignlanguageteachers.Washington,DC:ACTFL.

  Aski,J.,&Musumeci,D.(2009).Avan1(2nded.).McGrawHill.

  Borg,S.(2006).Teachercogni1onandlanguageeduca1on:Researchandprac1ce.London:Con7nuum.

  Cammarata,L.(2009).Nego7a7ngcurriculartransi7ons:Foreignlanguageteachers’learningexperiencewithcontent‐basedinstruc7on.TheCanadianModernLanguageReview,65(4),559–585.

  Creswell,J.W.(2007).Qualita1veinquiryandresearchdesign:Choosingamongfivetradi1ons(2nded.).ThousandOaks,CA:Sage.

References

  Curtain,H.,&Dahlberg,C.A.(2010).Languagesandchildren:Makingthematch(4thed.).Boston:Allyn&Bacon.

  Lyster,R.(2011).Content‐basedsecondlanguageteaching.InE.Hinkel(Ed.),Handbookofresearchinsecondlanguageteachingandlearning,Vol.2(pp.611–630).NewYork:Routledge.

  McTighe,J.,&Wiggins,G.(2004).UnderstandingbyDesign:Professionaldevelopmentworkbook.Alexandria,VA:ACSD.

  Merriam,S.B.(2009).Qualita1veresearch:Aguidetodesignandimplementa1on.SanFrancisco:JoseyBass.

  Na7onalStandardsinForeignLanguageEduca7onProject(1999).Standardsforforeignlanguagelearninginthe21stcentury.Yonkers,NY:Author.

References

  Paion,M.Q.(2002).Qualita1veresearch&evalua1onmethods(3rded.).ThousandOaks,CA:SagePublica7ons.

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References

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  Tedick,D.J.,&Walker,C.L.(1994).Secondlanguageteachereduca7on:Theproblemsthatplagueus.ModernLanguageJournal,78(3),300–312.

  Wiggins,G.,&McTighe,J.(2005).Understandingbydesign.Columbus,OH:PearsonEduca7on,Ltd.

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