After the All Saints Day holiday (November 1) the ASV faculty attended a professional development workshop on curriculum planning and curriculum design using the Understanding by Design framework. The workshop comprised a first session on Friday for all teachers and assistants and a second session on Saturday for a number of curricular team leaders and administrators.
Understanding by Design (UbD) is an educational approach created in 1998 that invites educators to apply selected design tools to “create a more rigorous and engaging curriculum.” Schools implementing UbD learn how to “map the curriculum around big ideas and essential questions” and help students to “develop the 21st Century Skills of critical thinking, communication, creativity, and collaboration.”
The workshops featured presentations and small group activities and discussions. They were led by Ms. Elizabeth Imende Cooney, associate at McTighe and Associates, a consultancy firm created by one of the two founders and creators of the UbD concept.
