Aligning Outcomes, Assessment and Activities

 

It’s evident that employing backward design, as advocated by L. Dee Fink, provides a robust framework for creating effective course designs. The alignment of outcomes, activities, and assignments is crucial, and Fink’s 3-column learning outcomes tables become a valuable tool in this process. By incorporating Fink’s six categories of significant learning outcomes – foundational, application integration, human dimension, caring, and learning how to learn (Fink, 2005) – teachers can create a dynamic learning environment that caters to the diverse aspects of students' development.

Following Fink’s course design guide and considering CSLE, I’ve outlined a plan for my 7th-grade math course at the middle school level. This is my first course design and there may be flaws throughout the design, but each and every step of putting this course design together will be the stepping stone for much more effective and comprehensive future courses. I will continue to adapt and refine the course design and my innovation plan, based on the feedback of all the participants who are involved in creating, delivering, supporting, and receiving this course.  

BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) – The overarching Course Goal is to create a dynamic learning environment where learners not only master the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) but also develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for math and create an e-portfolio to share their work.

 

When designing this course, it is imperative to have some sort of supporting documents as to why the course was designed that way. One of those documents is considering the learning environment and the situational factors of your course. This document focused on the teaching/learning situation such as class size, students' background, the nature of the subject, characteristics of the learners, and the characteristics of the teacher. The second supporting document is considering the questions that you may have when formulating the significant learning goals. It focused on the foundational knowledge, application goals, Integration goals, human dimensions goals, caring goals, and "learning how to learn" goals (Fink, 2005).

BHAG/3 Column Table Supporting Documents:

References:

Fink, L. D. (2005). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. Retrieved from: https://www.bu.edu/sph/files/2014/03/www.deefinkandassociates.com_GuidetoCourseDesignAug05.pdf

Harapnuik, D. (2016, June 13). Why you need a BHAG to design learning environments. Retrieved from: https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=6414.

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