Implementation of The Backward Design (BD) to Support and Guide Curriculum Decisions

Backward design 

Backward design is a planning framework that focuses on facilitating effective instruction by designing a more goal-focused framework. It prepares you to meet your objectives (Washington State University, 2019). Besides, BD helps clarify the course and what students will learn and be able to do. It is a method that enables the plan to be much more purposeful and sufficient. The goal is to support a learning experience that assigns learners to their life mission and goals.

Skeptical About Accepting New Tech? You’re Not Alone

The Technology Acceptance Model and the Concerns Based Adoption Model show that critically thinking about and questioning new technology use is something that we as educators should embrace

“Teacher, what is Class Notebook? How do I use it?” one of my late admission students had asked as I went over course expectations with him one-on-one. The conversation had taken place well into the second week of my low-intermediate English for Academic Purposes course.

I paused briefly to think about my answer. “To tell you the truth, I’m not a fan of it. We probably won’t be using it as much.”

With that statement I had made my decision. I was not going to use Class Notebook even though the Microsoft application had become a recommended tool for our online classes. Although I did spend time familiarizing myself with the app, there were reasons why I had opted not to use it in my class.

#1. I didn’t find it all that useful.

Davis (1989), who is credited for proposing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), explains that when it comes to perceived usefulness, “people tend to use or not use an application to the extent they believe it will help them perform their job better” (p. 320).

After nearly two weeks into teaching, I found that incorporating Class Notebook into my daily instruction became more of an afterthought. In fact, I found that I was creating more work because I was adding content into the notebook that was already accessible via the digital documents distributed to the class. The whole process was proving redundant and, therefore, did not help me teach better.

#2. Setting it up took a lot of time.

Seeing as it was my first time teaching the course, I had to become familiar with not only the content but also the app set-up for class use. I consulted other teachers who were using Class Notebook, but they had taught the course before, so their content had already been embedded in the pages. I, on the other hand, would have to undergo a lot of trial (and error, no doubt) to create the notebook, which would house content that was already available in a useable format.

To me, it didn’t seem like the app would be easy and simple to use right away. Davis (1989) calls this “perceived ease of use” (p. 320) and that although a piece of technology proves useful, it may still be difficult to operate. As a first-time user of this app and as someone who would have to lead a whole class through its functions, I had to carefully consider whether “the performance benefits of usage are outweighed by the effort of using the application” (Davis, 1989, p. 320).

The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (American Institutes for Research, 2010) has seven stages of concern which assess the perceptions and challenges of those who are making the changes in their workflow. In this case, it is the educator who must implement this technology and who must modify their instruction method. Thus, the issue of “perceived ease of use” (Davis, 1989) relates to the third stage of concern in this particular model in which the user questions how much time would be involved in preparing to teach with the novel method.

Clearly, these variables influenced my decision not to use Class Notebook at the time. I considered it to be a sound decision because even without the new technology, I felt I was able to deliver an interactive and collaborative learning experience by using existing tools with which students were already familiar.

Instead of duplicating content on to Class Notebook, I used an editable Word document that already had the lessons and worksheets. The students had their own copy for homework, but the class copy was shared with everyone. During class, students who wanted to share their answers could directly type on the class copy for everyone to see. I found that this system worked well because it kept things consistent and simple. Firstly, the students were familiar with the format, and secondly, they didn’t have to worry about accessing another tool. I thought this was an important consideration as my students had lower language proficiencies, and I did not want to add another layer of complication.

Although it is unclear why Class Notebook became the tool of choice in my environment, I am using it now for another course and do see its benefits. However, the difference this time is that I had become familiar with the app because of my brief foray into it from the previous course.

References

American Institutes for Research (2010, Dec 8). Stages of Concern | Concerns Based Adoption Model. https://www.air.org/resource/stages-concern-concerns-based-adoption-model 

Davis, F. (1989) Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319-339. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/200085965_Perceived_Usefulness_Perceived_Ease_of_Use_and_User_Acceptance_of_Information_Technology

Digital Storytelling in the Classroom

What is storytelling?

The ability to convey a narrative story through speech, writing, illustration, or through song.  Since time immemorial, humans have been telling stories through various means, starting with depictions being carved and painted on cave walls and eventually being spoken around the camp fire.

The compelling nature of storytelling has remained an essential part of the human experience. The only difference in the present context comes from the tools that allow us to tell stories in various formats.  

From stories that were once told around the fire by early humans, to the Greek amphitheatre in antiquity, to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and so on, we now have the ability to tell stories to even larger audiences digitally. 

Educators must envision students being their own storytellers; telling personal narratives through various digital mediums. Students can be empowered to tell stories that capture the moment, talking to events that are meaningful to them. 

“Humans are not ideally set up to understand logic; they are ideally set up to understand stories.”

(Robert Shank)

What is Digital Storytelling?

Digital storytelling is a modern term which describes the process of students using digital tools to tell a compelling story. The digital stories are presented in a personal and engaging format, which can also be interactive.

Digital storytelling can be achieved through various formats, such as web-based technology, interactive applications games, video and others.  

Why Digital Storytelling?

Digital storytelling has been shown to help learners develop several important skills including:

• Digital skills (Examples: using video equipment and software, using online research tools, understanding copyright)
• Communication skills
• Empathy
• Self-expression

Learning Theories

Social Constructivism

Social constructivism assumes the learner is intrinsically motivated, that learning should be problem-based, and based on discovery (Reid, 2017). Digital storytelling engages our students to create stories based on topics that they are authentically interested in. Instructors do not pick the student's topics, but guide them along the way and allow them to lead their own learning. A social constructivist approach can also be utilized through the opportunity for students to participate in social learning by giving and receiving feedback from their peers (Robin, 2016). Students utilizing digital storytelling can participate in connecting with their learning community online to help both themselves and their peers in sharing ideas, thoughts and resources.

Behaviorism

The behavioral approach to learning is based on the concept of stimulus-response with the main emphasis being placed on behavioral results (Reid, 2017). Students can and will learn through their own motivation of wanting to do better, in hopes of seeing a positive result. A behavioral strategy would be to model the task, through direct instruction, provide feedback in incremental steps, and allow the learner to practice these skills independently (Reid, 2017). Instructors understand that learning is the acquisition of new behavior, therefore students will be given instructions based on the assumption that he/she knows a little about the subject (Khalil, 2016).

References

de Jager, A., Fogarty, A., Tewson, A., Lenette, C., & Boydell, K. M. (2017). Digital storytelling in research: A systematic review. The Qualitative Report, 22(10), 2548-2582. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol22/iss10/3/

Khalil, M. K., & Elkhider, I. A. (2016). Applying learning theories and instructional design models for effective instruction. Advances in Physiology Education, 40(2), 147-156. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00138.2015

Reid, A. J. (2017, November 23). What is learning theory. Tofas Akademi. https://tofasakademi.com/what-is-learning-theory

Robin, B. (2016). The power of digital storytelling to support teaching and learning. Digital Education Review, (30), 17-29. https://doi.org/10.1344/der.2016.30.17-29