Why “backward” is best.
A very attached belief in teachers’ minds is the focus on textbooks activities, i.e. input, rather than output which shoud be our goal to reach. In other words, we focus on teaching rather than our students’ learning. This situation only describes the real scenario of a great number of teachers who spend hours thinking what content to teach, what exercises should be chosen to apply the grammar content in a certain unit, what to ask in order to elicit some feedback from students connected to the content of the unit, etc. Finally, we can conclude that the class is not only teacher centered, but also reflects a total neglection towards students.
The challenge of a backward design is to focus first on the desired learnings from which appropriate teaching will logically follow. Only by having specified the desired results we can focus on the content, methods, and activities most likely to achieve those results. On the one hand we have to let “the control” go, and on the other be sensitive and permeable to constraints we may face, our students characteristics and the kind of school we are working at, since they might shape the process but never put at risk the learning goal.
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Well, there is a huge cliff, not even a crack on the land that we still need to fill. And as I commented on Marianella's blog, the only thing we can do is cajole colleagues in order to advance and spread this model. Unfortunatelly, we all have still this belief that makes us depend on content based goals and self centered approaches. As you well say, it's difficult to let the control go, that only shows how scared we are regarding our own capacities as teachers. We are not confident, and it seems this is a good model in which you let students to take the control and work on their own progress while you just guide. Sounds cool.
ReplyDelete:)
Claudio
I agree...we have to leave those textbooks aside for a while and stop thinking about them as the bible we have to follow no matter what.
ReplyDeleteWe have to set our goals and if they are different from the ones in the textbook, if any,we have to leave it aside and start doing what we have to do, focus on our children.
Vicky
Dear Lorena:
ReplyDeleteIt seems obvious that all teachers understand that the most important aim for us as teachers is students’ learning. Unfortunately, this assumption is not true. Covering contents, giving tests and scoring the tests are the most common activities that a teacher does in the classroom. What are the purposes of these activities? Nobody knows. However, their work seems to be done. What a shame!!!
Student- centred classes need to be fostered in order to have a higher education. To do so, teachers have to be willing to work hard and give our time and energy to study the new strategies and put them into practice.
It is true that the most common practice among teahers is to think about content and grammar exercises from a specific unit. Most of the teachers don't realise that the first step in designig is to think of the desired results and then content, activities and methods could be chosen. So, as you mentioned it is a must to start paying more attention to our students' needs rather than textbooks activities.
ReplyDeleteHi Lorena!
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand we have to let “the control” go, and on the other be sensitive and permeable to constraints we may face... I think this idea is closely connected to the teachers beliefs. We were taught that we should be the ones in control in all the situations, and sometimes that is why it becomes so hard to do new things because we fear to lose the control of our class and being criticized for the dicipline inside our classroom, and also because we were taought that we are the ones "Who know" all the answers. An interesting exercise, then, would be to star analysing and unpoacking our beliefs to face them and stop them interfering in our decisions.
Lorena,
ReplyDeleteI think it quite clear, the challenge proposed by this 'backward design' is a bit huge for teachers who have been working in the same way for ever, this is: looking forward rather than backward. We tend to focus on the units and the contents we want to see in our classrooms, and as we go on with the process we make decisions in between. What if we try to follow this approach and concentrate on designing clear goals first? What if we consider our students needs and characteristics? that would be perfect, not only for us but for our students.
Unfortunately, we know that this is something that won't happen, not now at least, with the current educational system.
So, we'll have to do our best with few resources and little time to think :-(
My dear Lorena:
ReplyDeleteWe have suffered a lot during this two-year M.A. programme... But the Essential questions to ask here is (or are): Have I learnt anything? and How much have I changed since the very first class? And for sure you'll see that we are doing it well. Step by step, blood sweat and tears, we are changing from teacher-centered to student-centered. We are moving our students from the level of Knowing to the one of Understanding... So, let's give it some more time, let's learn to share as professional peers, let's polish up these new knowledge and we will improve our teaching practices... My girlfriend was talking to me the other day and I found horrible atrocities that happen in the place she studies (I'm not giving names, I can only say it starts with Man- and ends with -Power). So that made think I am on the right path... I just need some more time, years and experience... So let us be happy, because we are doing it well...
Greetings my dear, and this would be also my last post for you... (ever)!
Felipe!