What’s the Big Idea??

Big Ideas, Benchmarks, Enduring Understandings, Essential Questions…

What’s the Difference?

Face the Facts

• Fact: We can never “cover” all of the benchmarks that we have written, let alone lead students to mastery in the time we have with students

• Fact: We prioritize independently, by grade level, by content, by building, and by district, but the prioritization is not formalized

Process Nutshell

Prioritize Learning

Construct Learning Plan

Execute: Instruction/Formative Assessments

Intervene

Prioritize Learning

Common Formative Assessment Data Analysis

Benchmark Alignment

Big Idea Focus

Enduring Understanding Selection

Construct Learning Plan

Essential Question Construction

Summative Assessment Construction

Classroom Formative Assessment Construction

Instruction/Activities Planning

Intervene

Deliver Instruction/Activities

Administer Classroom Formative Assessments

Intervene: Adjust Instruction/Activities for Goal Acquisition

Execute

Big Ideas vs. Enduring UnderstandingsBig Ideas

• Creativity

• Productive Academic Collaboration

• Critical Thinking

• Problem Solving

• Civic Responsibility

• 21st Century Learning

Enduring Understandings

• Technology generates creativity.

• Technology enriches productive academic collaboration.

• Technology advances critical thinking through research.

• Technology advances authentic problem solving.

• Technology demands responsible use.

• Technical skill is critical for 21st century learners.

Enduring Understandings

• Prioritized learning outcomes for students

• Broader in scope than benchmark acquisition

• Fewer in number than benchmarks• Powerful representation of student

knowledge and skills• This does NOT stop until there is

sufficient evidence that the knowledge or skill has been mastered

Essential Questions

Stimulate student curiousityDemand consideration of alternatives,

weighing of evidence, supporting of opinions, and justification of conculsions

Spark meaningful connections Guide learning throughout a unit, course,

or grade levelRequire a rich educational experience“Author and Me” types of questions

Big Idea Essential Question Enduring Understanding

Creativity NO: Does technology generate creativity?

Maybe: What is the difference between “using” the computer and “enjoying” the computer?

Technology generates creativity.

Productive Academic Collaboration

Maybe: What is the difference between “using” the computer and “enjoying” the computer?

Maybe: How does the phrase “two heads are better than one apply to this project?

Technology enriches productive academic collaboration.

Critical Thinking NO: What steps of the research process make a student think critically?

Maybe: What steps can a student take if they need to know something?

Technology advances critical thinking through research.

Problem Solving Maybe: What steps can a student take if they need to know something?

Technology advances authentic problem solving.

Civic Responsibility Maybe: What does it mean to be tempted by something?

Technology demands responsible use.

21st Century Learning Maybe: If we were racing to find the answer, would you rather have access to books or to a computer?

Technical skill is critical for 21st century learners.