Chapter 3

The goals that we want to achieve have to be very clear for us at the time to design a curriculum. With those goals clear we are going to identify in a better way if they are developing in our classes in order to get the results that we want in our students. We are going to get “desire results” if we are able to have concrete objectives.

“Big ideas are at the “core” of the subject; they need to be uncovered”

With this quote we must to work in order to get better acquiring of contents.  The student has to be connected with the knowledge to generate motivation. What I mean is that if the student can identify the importance of learning something, the process is going to occur naturally and with few problems. That is our hard work; we have to make them feel the connection with the knowledge in order to make them think.

As the text said, students have to ask themselves why they have to learn something. And we have to guide them in that process. The idea is make their brains ask:

-          What is most important here?

-          How do the pieces connect?

-          What should I pay most attention to?

-          What are the (few) bottom-line priorities?

If our students are able to make those question is because we are in the correct way. We are motivating them making a close relationship between knowledge and their experiences that they are living in their daily routine.

Chapter 2

It is important to know the differences between knowledge and understanding. With these two concepts clear we are going to be able to know if we are giving subjects in the right way. First of all we have to give in the appropriate way the information that a student needs to know. At the time of evaluations we are going to know if they have that knowledge. However we cannot be sure if they understand this knowledge.

In my personal opinion we, as future teachers, have different ways to evaluate more than only knowledge. We can make them questions in which they need to analyze information and we are going to identify if they understand the subject.

Also we have to know if they have the necessary tools to ask themselves and find explanations about a theory for instance. We can give them the information and we have to teach them how to use that information in order to create an answer or an opinion.

Understanding by Design - Chapter 1

In my personal opinion, the most interesting part of this chapter is when the author talks about the Stages of Backward Design. In this part we, as future teachers, are going to orientate our lessons in order to achieve the proses of learning in an optimal way.

 The main focus of this chapter is very useful to our practice as teachers. I think that is important to think and answer first some questions that are important before to plan a lesson. It is completely necessary to ask ourselves about the contents that we are giving to our students and how are we going to give to them. The message has to be clear and understandable. It is important also has a result of the contents, and check the learning in students. With that information we are going to be able to evaluate our work. We are going to know if we are doing things right and we are going to be able to correct what we are doing wrong.

It is very important at the time to plan a lesson to put the student as the main character in our classes. This is going to help us to aim our classes in the principal objective of the curriculum and a class that is the student and spread knowledge properly.