UbD & Fink's Taxonomy I found both Fink’s 3-Column Table and the UbD design model essential in planning the professional learning that will be necessary to get my innovation plan off the ground. By mindfully choosing learning goals that focus on the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, Fink’s 3-Column Table helps to ensure the efficient and focused use of instructional time. The UbD model provides the opportunity to plan the details of the lesson to whatever level of specificity the teacher is comfortable with, while keeping the overarching goal (BHAG) front and center. Both learning design models recognize the importance of determining goals before choosing activities, but from there the paths diverge: one broad and the other specific. This divergence is evident in how they assess learning. Fink’s model assesses learning through outcome-based, behavioral and attitude changes whereas the UbD model is more competency-based and skills oriented.
As a former classroom teacher, I was naturally drawn to the UbD design model that I had used in some form or fashion for the last 20+ years. However, exposure to Fink’s Taxonomy has helped me realize that considering the mindset and thought process of my learners before attacking the nuts and bolts of the lesson is imperative to creating a significant learning environment that makes the learning meaningful and authentic. |
I see these two models as a metaphorical house. Fink’s Taxonomy is the foundation, frame, and roof - all the structural components. The UbD model serves to make that house a home: paint, furniture, art on the walls. Can one exist without the other? Sure, but they do a much better and more thorough job together. It makes sense that Fink’s model with its Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal would be considered first when designing a lesson or unit, followed by the more detailed UbD model, much like a house must be built before it can be decorated.
|
Understanding by Design
Fink's Taxonomy: BHAG & 3-Column Table
Throughout this course, I have struggled with the difference between outcome-based and competency- based instruction. It seemed that in my effort to be detailed and specific in my goals, they became too competency-based, but letting go of that specificity wasn't easy. Surprising, since details are not usually my strong suit. Using Fink's
|
|
|
References:
Fink, L.D. (2003). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Gulamhussein, A. (2013). Teaching the teachers: Effective professional development in an era of high stakes accountability. Center for Public Education, 1-47. Retrieved from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Staffingstudents/Teaching-the-Teachers-Effective-Professional-Development-in-an-Era-of-High-Stakes-Accountability/Teaching-the-Teachers-Full-Report.pdf
Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change (1st ed.). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
Fink, L.D. (2003). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Gulamhussein, A. (2013). Teaching the teachers: Effective professional development in an era of high stakes accountability. Center for Public Education, 1-47. Retrieved from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Staffingstudents/Teaching-the-Teachers-Effective-Professional-Development-in-an-Era-of-High-Stakes-Accountability/Teaching-the-Teachers-Full-Report.pdf
Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change (1st ed.). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
Photo used under Creative Commons from tompagenet
