Planning.

I'm a big fan of UbD (Understanding by Design) as a tool for planning curricular units. I think UbD helps us design coherent learning experiences in which pedagogy and curriculum are well integrated into overall educational objectives. Before UbD came into my life I didn’t have much clarity about what success would mean for my students. And isn’t teaching hard enough without having a foggy mind on such an important question?

Click HERE to see the UbD for my “Logic, Rhetoric and Ethics” class at the Latin School of Chicago. I’ve taught a version of this course many times, but it always feels new and challenging. This iteration we’re exploring the death penalty (mostly because it requires us to learn some basic moral theory) and free speech on campus (mostly because I lose sleep over this one).

Norms.

The first activity I do with my all students is to negotiate the norms that constitute success for the course. Norms are not rules. There are always departmental requirements that are non-negotiable, but there still remains a lot to figure out about how we want to work together. The norms we create together are meant to fill in the big, yawning gaps left over after the rules are known. Eventually, the norms become the basis for periodic, anonymous class evaluations. Reviewing all the data together helps us celebrate and address curricular, pedagogical and interpersonal challenges in the classroom in the spirit of cooperation.

Below are some syllabi with norms included. What’s amazing is that even though these norms were all created in different classes the same themes emerge: Students want to feel respected, engaged and that their teacher wants them to succeed.

Moral Controversy in America Syllabus

Moral Controversy in America is a 12th grade elective that challenges students to apply normative moral theories to contemporary moral problems such as abortion, the death penalty, and affirmative action. Click on the image below to read a copy of the syllabus.