Educators as Designers - Reflections

Educators are designers. This is the first design principle that we discussed. We are also crazy planners. We are given a list of things to cover or accomplish, and a teacher can whip together a plan that covers everything with a hook, a hands-on activity, practice, and an assessment. However, that is not inherently design. Until now, I haven’t really considered the difference between planning and designing, though clearly it is something we need to do.

As a teacher, I believe that I am currently more of a planner, getting together with the other teachers who also teach what I do (either 3^rd grade, science & social studies, or math) to make a 9-weeks plan or year-long curriculum map. These help my teammates, specialists, and others see what we plan to teach each month. It helps me set a logical sequence of content areas so what I teach later can help reinforce what I’ve already taught. It is intentional, time-consuming, and important. One must have a plan to get started and know where we’re going. This is not design.

Design, however, must be part of my process. Once I have a plan of the topic I will be teaching, I need to think about HOW I am going to get my students to understand, interact with, and ultimately learn what they need to learn. One thing that we’ve been trying to incorporate with my 3^rd grade team when we plan is the idea of “Backward Design.” This is thinking about the end goal or product helps us set steps we can take to reach that ultimate goal. I have to make sure I don’t just use this as a “backwards plan” by looking at the calendar of when the test will be and fitting in the instructional days. Yes, I want my students to do well on a multiplication exit ticket, but I also want them to have mathematical fluency and number literacy. I want them to understand the underlying mathematical principles that will help them interpret these concepts, so what experiences or techniques can I give them to help them? This will require designing more experiences to make sure I accommodate all of my students’ needs and background knowledge.

A few years ago, when my students discussed rules and laws, they kept asking why certain things were allowed or not allowed. They focused on one law, so since we couldn’t vote, we decided to write letters to Congress. To write these letters, however, we had to work backwards to make sure we did everything we could to make our letters convincing, appropriate, and effective. We looked at persuasive writing, how to research, how to read data and evaluate websites, letter writing, and how to identify who our Congress members were. We had to look at the structure of our government to see who would be most appropriate as the audience for our letters. Looking back, I had to design this project to reach our goals. We had to set our steps, but my ultimate goal in this wasn’t necessarily the letters. Sure, we all sent letters and even received a response from former Rep. Wolf. We were all excited! However, my actual goal was (and still is) to develop civic responsibility and awareness in my students. I know they are only 8 years old now, but if they grow into informed citizens when they reach voting age, we will have a more educated and informed electorate who can make independent, educated decisions. 

The way in which this principle may affect my practice is that it will cause me to stop and consider if I am simply planning an activity or series of lessons, or if I can focus on the goal. One example is planning our field trip to Blandy in the spring, which was relatively easy. I worked with my principal to secure the buses, worked with the bookkeeper to collect the money to pay for the trip, and scheduled the trip with Blandy educators to teach our students about soil. However, this is simply planning. I need to think about designing the activities around the trip so our students can get even more out of it. I would love to find ways for our third graders to apply the knowledge we gain about soil and plants. Our students will need that knowledge in the future. This will take more designing that simply planning.