1. A Backward Approach to Scope & Sequence
Scope and Sequence
A Backward Approach to
Scope & Sequence

2. A Curriculum Fable
One time the animals had a school. The curriculum consisted of running, climbing, flying and swimming, and all the animals took all the subjects. The duck was good in swimming; better in fact than his instructor, and he made passing grades in flying, but he was practically hopeless in running. Because he was low in this subject, he was made to stay after school and drop his swimming class in order to practice running. He kept this up until he was only average in swimming. But average is acceptable, so nobody worried about that except the duck. The eagle was considered a problem pupil and disciplined severely. He beat all the others to the top of the tree in the climbing class, but he used his own way of getting there. The rabbit started out at the top of the class in running, but he had a nervous breakdown and had to drop out of school on account of so much make-up work in swimming. The squirrel led the climbing class, but his flying teacher made him start flying lessons from the ground instead of the top of the tree down, and he developed "charley horses" from over-exertion at the take-off and began getting C's in climbing and D's in running. The practical prairie dogs apprenticed their offspring to a badger when the school authorities refused to add digging to the curriculum. At the end of the year, an abnormal eel that could swim well, run, climb, and fly a little, was made valedictorian.

3. The Problem
“Even good students don’t always display a deep understanding of what is taught even when conventional tests certify success.” (Wiggins & McTighe)

4. A Curriculum Fable
One time the animals had a school. The curriculum consisted of running, climbing, flying and swimming, and all the animals took all the subjects. The duck was good in swimming; better in fact than his instructor, and he made passing grades in flying, but he was practically hopeless in running. Because he was low in this subject, he was made to stay after school and drop his swimming class in order to practice running. He kept this up until he was only average in swimming. But average is acceptable, so nobody worried about that except the duck. The eagle was considered a problem pupil and disciplined severely. He beat all the others to the top of the tree in the climbing class, but he used his own way of getting there. The rabbit started out at the top of the class in running, but he had a nervous breakdown and had to drop out of school on account of so much make-up work in swimming. The squirrel led the climbing class, but his flying teacher made him start flying lessons from the ground instead of the top of the tree down, and he developed "charley horses" from over-exertion at the take-off and began getting C's in climbing and D's in running. The practical prairie dogs apprenticed their offspring to a badger when the school authorities refused to add digging to the curriculum. At the end of the year, an abnormal eel that could swim well, run, climb, and fly a little, was made valedictorian.

5. Curriculum That Makes a Difference
Focus on a topic that matters
Use instructional methods that engage
Cause deep and enduring learning related to an important standard
Is it important enough to remember when the student is 50 years old?

6. What is Backward Design
BD Begins with the end in mind
Starting with a clear understanding of the destination
Making sure that you are taking steps in the right direction (Stephen Covey)
Is justifiable and reliable

7. Unfortunately, Many Teachers
Begin with a favored lesson, time-honored activities (or the next page in the text)
Backward design starts with the end (the desired results).
What would I accept as evidence that students have attained the desired understandings and/or abilities?

8. Backwards Design We begin BD with the following question:
What would I accept as evidence that students have attained the desired understandings/abilities?

9. Backwards Design Process

10. Answer the following 2 questions:
Consider a good book that you read or a good movie that you watched: What was it that drew you in to the book or movie?
Consider a sport or activity that you have engaged in or practiced regularly (i.e., soccer, dance, etc.): What motivated you to learn, practice, and get better?

11. The Problem
Traditional linear curriculum is often a one-stop, one-way march through textbooks
To teach the textbook only (without other resources) may exacerbate student confusion and misunderstandings

12. A Natural Unfolding of Lessons
Traditional (linear) curriculum delivery is so natural and familiar that we have a difficult time seeing its weaknesses.
Sequence: Read about it, learn basic definitions, basic elements, axioms, parts, and then build in a clear sequence
And yet, this is not how we best learn many things

13. How do we learn--Really:
We learn just enough to accomplish a given task
When is the last time you purchased a new product and then read the entire owners manual before using the product?
We learn by failing a few times (that’s reality!)
Do you think that most teachers allow students to fail first?

14. Typical Scope & Sequence
Provides a linear march through the curriculum
Detailed and patient explanation
Two other (beyond linear) logical organizational structures for delivering curriculum:
Applied Curriculum
Literature-based Curriculum

15. The Logic of Applied Curriculum
Reject the notion that students should learn passively first, and then, having learned, apply knowledge.
Applications are an essential part of knowledge-building
Unapplied knowledge is knowledge shorn of its meaning
Whitehead, 1947

16. Applied Curriculum Derives Sequence from Goals
Think Coaching
We head right into the desired performance—even if it has to simplified—even if it’s ugly!
We build up performance progressively
We visit the fundamentals as we go

17. Resistance to the Applied Curriculum
Although the idea of “getting your knowledge and using it quickly” makes sense, many educators resist it!
Arguments:
Students need to learn the basics first
Students aren’t ready for complexity
Students might fail

18. I hear, I forget I see, I remember I do, I understand
Chinese Proverb

19. Postpone the Formal Stuff!
Postpone formal until attempts to perform (an possibly failure) have occurred!
Understanding a known or established idea must be made more like discovering a new idea
Rather than simply having it explained by an adult!

20. Back to the Coach Example of Applied Curriculum
Coaches invariably revisit the basics with each new player, no matter how expert the player
How to blockout
How to pass & shoot
How to read the defense
How to run the offense

21. Good Coaches Also… Use two kinds of learning
Practice new skills in simplified form
Practice using known skills in more complex performances
Students receive feedback during and after each performance

22. Applied Curriculum Sequence
Discrete learning to whole performance
From part
To whole
To part

23. Basketball as an Example
Practice Shooting
Practice dribbling
Work on drills to combine dribbling and shooting
Controlled scrimmage to place learning in context
Use drills to work on shortcomings, bad habits, forgotten lessons identified in scrimmage

24. The Applied Curriculum Structure
Model
Practice
Feedback
Perform
(Repeat loop above)

25. The Literature-based Curriculum
Consider curriculum as a story
Stories rarely lay out all facts and ideas in a step-by-step fashion
Although they are sometimes illogical and incomplete,
Stories are much more likely to engage the reader

26. The Power of a Story
We do not easily remember what other people have said if they do not tell it in the form of a story
During learning: We hear in the form of a story things that we have personally experienced

27. A STEM Example Problem-based learning is a literature-based curriculum
Students are thrust into problem situations immediately
Much like a reader is thrust into the middle of a story, from which they must find their way out
In PBL, students meet an ill-structured problem before they receive any instructions

28. Literature-based Curricular Design (continued)
People don’t need the whole subject laid out to master a challenge
A step-by-step series of lessons explaining each piece of the automobile and its function prior to ever touching the car is not the best way to understand how to drive it, how it works or how to fix it!

29. Literature-baserd Curricular Design (continued)
Much important teaching occurs after, not before, students attempt to perform—when students are ready to hear and grasp its value.

30. Literature-based Curricular Design (continued)
The presence of a mystery, dilemma, oddity is essential
The most basic feature of all compelling stories (or problems)
We are placed into an environment that has to figured out or understood

31. Literature-based Curricular Design (continued)
Storytellers are great teachers
Instead of presenting a straightforward sequence of events, the storyteller deliberately raises questions and delays answering them

32. Literature-based Curricular Design (continued)
Think of a course designed to provide drama, to offer surprises, twists, and turns
Think of how your curriculum might be designed by J.K. Rowling, Suzanne Collins, Stephen King, or Steven Spielberg
Can you think of examples?

33. Literature-based Curricular Design (continued)
What drives a story, what makes it worth telling is trouble:
Some misfit between the characters, their actions, the goals of the story, the setting, and the means.
A good story centers on what is essential—a big idea

34. 3 Questions Answered in all Literature-based Curricula
What do we know?
What do we need to know?
How can we find out?

35. 5 Essential Elements of a Literature-based Curriculum
Identifying importance
What is most important about this topic?
Why should it matter to students?
What is engaging about it?
Finding binary opposites
What opposites best capture the importance of the topic?

36. 5 Essential Elements of a Literature-based Curriculum
Organizing content into story form
What content most dramatically embodies the opposites
Conclusion
What is the best way of resolving the conflicts between the opposites/solve the conflict
Evaluation
How will we determine whether they have learned?

37. Scope & Sequence
We have discussed two additional (beyond linear) logical organizational structures for curriculum:
Literature-based: (i.e., Story tellers)
Applied: (i.e., Coaches)

38. John Dewey (1916)
There is a strong temptation to assume that presenting subject matter in its perfected form provides a royal road to learning. What’s more natural than to suppose that the immature can be saved time and energy, and be protected from needless error by commencing where competent inquirers have left off? Pupils begin their study with texts in which the subject is organized into topics according to the order of the specialist. Technical concepts and their definitions are introduced at the outset. Laws are introduced at an early stage.
The pupil learns symbols without the key to their meaning. He acquires a technical body of information without ability to trace its connections to what is familiar—often he acquires simply a vocabulary!