This past month I have been a total busy bee!  The last 3 weeks in particular have been a non-stop whirlwind of activity.  And it wasn't just busy work - that dreaded school term! Much of my time was focused on adult learning that will lead to improved student learning...or at least that is the plan.  

Just as the bees bring nectar from the flowers to the hive to create honey, the educators I have been with during the last 3 weeks will take their new knowledge and skills back to their own classrooms to make a difference in the learning of their students. But as we have learned in my Baker University curriculum course, new knowledge and skills do not necessarily translate into effective implementation.  We have to plan with the end in mind - backwards design seems to work best - so that we provide clear goals, room for inquiry, a plan for assessment, and quality, focused learning experiences to effectively achieve the goal.  But it doesn't matter what we are planning, whether it's our summer vacation, the holiday cookout, adding onto our church, or crafting legislative action, having a vision as to what the result will be must come first or we will unlikely have the end product that we desire! Bees are not random or hope to create honey.  They are on a mission, know what the outcome will be, and DO create honey!

Being busy doesn't mean the goal will be achieved effectively either.  Bees never seem to stop working, buzzing around their hive in a flurry of activity. Their work is purposeful.  They aren't just buzzing to be buzzing.  They are creating honey and each bee has a role to play in that process.  Planning for learning, or any other significant endeavor, also requires careful planning, clearly stated expectations, and fulfillment of the roles and tasks needed to achieve the goal.  When I go to the store each week, it is imperative that I have a list, otherwise I may not come home with the items I really need, or I end up buying things I didn't really need (or already have on hand).  Purposeful planning sets up effective doing!

Which brings us to another lesson from the bees:  one can accomplish a lot more when we work together.  Rarely do you see a hive with only individual bees randomly flying around.  More often than not, you see a thriving, buzzing group of bees busily working at their assigned task.  As I listened and watched the participants in our workshops during the last 2 weeks, I saw a lot of buzzing as they discussed and collaborated to learn as much as possible so they could implement this new learning.  Even as they were mulling over ideas, they were eager to share their new understandings with those in the class and take back to share with their colleagues.  My husband and I would have never been able to remodel our house and transform it from a farm house to a log house without a collaborative working relationship.  As I've noted in previous blogs - he has the ability to take our ideas and make them reality.  Whenever we work together on a project, we utilize each other's strengths to spark ideas, reflect on and revise our plans, and ultimately get the job done.  It is so much easier when we ask for help, or include others in our planning and implementation.  Rarely do any of us have all the answers or all the tools needed to accomplish a task well!  

Bees are persistent too.  The new buzz word in education today is to develop grit. A lot of us lost that skill some time ago when technological advances made life much easier.  But bees can be our inspiration as they continue to find sources of nectar, even if it's a dry year and the flowers aren't blooming like they usually do.  They are focused on the end result and they continue to work until the job is done.  In education, one way to practice and achieve the trait of "grit" is through project based learning.  This involves so much more than just studying or doing research and then writing or answering questions about it.  It involves real world (authentic) application of knowledge and skills to produce a project of value and one that demonstrates true understanding.  It took us nearly 10 years to remodel our house and make the transformation complete.  But persistence won out over limited funds and the temptation to take a break and never start up again.  We started with the end in mind, and found ways to overcome the obstacles and achieve the desired result.  Even today, we still tweak that final product to make it even better.  But then that's another topic for another day!

And now I must get busy.... grading projects awaits!

How many times a day do we plan by beginning with the end in mind?  Whenever you leave the house you know where you're going, what time you have to be there, and what you are supposed to do when you get there.  You decide whether to walk, ride a bike, take the car or catch a plane.  When you arrive, you know immediately if you did what you planned to do.   But what if you didn't begin with the end in mind?

Building a house is the perfect example of how the kind and quality of our planning  can make all the difference.  

Scene 1:  You have an idea of what your house should look like but no real blueprints.  You've got a lot of friends that will help, so you all gather together for the big event.  Let's get started!  Everyone agrees to begin by digging a hole in the ground, pouring a foundation, and then each person starts building a room.  You walk through the construction noting the progress but wondering if everyone's efforts are fitting together like they should.   Some people are making changes that you didn't even know about.  There are some unused spaces and some areas that are really cramped. Some rooms are almost done and some have barely been started.  Now you wonder how your house is really going to turn out?  You "hope" it will look like you wanted it to, when you wanted it to be done... but how will you be sure?  

What if there had been a shared vision and then a plan?   Maybe just starting from the beginning without a real plan in place is not the  best way to build a house.  What if you had begun with the end in mind?

Scene 2:  You have an idea of what your new house will look like; what will be included; what will not be included; why it will be included (or not); and when it will be done. By having those thoughts, you are indeed beginning with the end in mind.  But you realize there are many questions that need to be answered before you can actually start building.  What are your goals?  What functions or facilities does your new house need to have so that you can live comfortably and efficiently?  How long will the building process take?  What resources do you need?  How will you know the building project is proceeding in a timely and effective manner so the end result will be what you want it to be, when you want it to be done?  

So you do your homework, looking around for ideas, asking questions, and prioritizing needs vs. wants.  Then you draw a sketch, make a plan, talk to the builder and/or the architect, create a blueprint, and get started building from the bottom up.  Revisions occur as unforeseen problems arise or new ideas come to light.  But all the revisions are made with the end goal in mind.  Checkpoints tell you things are progressing in a timely manner.  And the day you open the door to your new home, you are pleased, but not surprised, that it looks exactly as you imagined it would!

                                                                                *****

Beginning with the end in mind:  In an educational setting, this is how curriculum should be planned; units of study should be planned; and even daily lessons should be planned.  What is the learning goal?  What are the essential questions that promote higher order thinking, inquiry, and deeper understanding?  What are the enduring understandings that go beyond the content of the lesson or unit, that apply to the real world?  What should students know and be able to do when the learning is completed?  How will you know the students have learned what you wanted them to learn?  These questions make teachers think beyond assembling day to day, albeit engaging activities.  By answering them during the planning process, then delivering them in an engaging and effective manner, learning will be richer and more useful.

Understanding by Design (developed by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins) provides a framework for backwards design which is in effect, beginning with the end in mind.  This process goes beyond the days of Outcomes, which were also centered around the concept of backwards design (design down, deliver up) where schools established Exit Outcomes (for seniors) and worked their way back to Kindergarten where it would all begin.  But UbD takes it a step farther by taking this philosophy into  unit and lesson planning, not just system planning.  

As schools begin understanding and implementing the Common Core State Standards, UbD becomes a valuable tool in this process.   Common Core Standards ask students to be college and career ready:  to know what to do with the information and skills they have acquired and when to use those as well.  No longer will they just be able to memorize facts or identify specific items.  That knowledge is only useful if we know when and how to use it.   

Consider the elements of UbD and how they contribute to deeper levels of thinking and understanding:  

• Determine the learning goal(s).  
  
• Identify what will be taught (standards).
  
• What are the enduring understandings (that transfer to other content, situations, and/or real world)?
  
• What are the essential questions (ones that cannot be answered simply and easily; that require deeper thinking and inquiry)?
  
• How will we know they have learned "it"  (authentic, problem based-assessments that require students to use the skills and knowledge they have acquired)? 
  
• What will we do to accommodate different learning needs, assist students who struggle and provide extensions for those who excel?
  
• What activities allow for the best learning experiences?
  

So whether you are building a house, deciding what clothes to wear tomorrow, or educating students, your success depends on focused planning that begins with the end in mind.