Big Understandings Learning that Matters in Learners’ Lives

1. Big Understandings Learning that Matters in Learners’ Lives

2. Future Scoping “Big understandings are big in the lives learners are likely to live” p53

3. Future Scoping What will the future lives of our students look like in 5 and 15 years? Individual thinking time (3 minutes) With a partner, share your thoughts then draw or write your ideas on the sticky butcher paper to display on the walls (10 minutes) View the ideas on display then write a ‘Headline’ that summarises what the future lives of our students will look like (7 minutes)

4. Big Understandings Defined Big in insight: physical, social, artistic worlds Big in action: professional, social and political actions Big in ethics: ethical, humane, caring mindsets and conduct Big in opportunity: ‘big in comeuppance’ p52

5. My object - Martin Insight Represents the diversity of life. Millions of different organisms exist in the world. Links to Evolution, Genetics, interactions within the environment, human impacts, etc. Action What can people do to save animals from extinction? Protecting out local environment, eg planting flowers in gardens to support local birds and insects Ethics Links to questions about how we should treat other living things and the environment. Big issues about loss of species and biodiversity. Opportunity There are opportunities for us to consider living things in our gardens, in the local area and in the news on a daily basis, eg possums in the garden, beached whales on the news, saving the gorillas at the zoo.

6. My object - Siti Insight Bread is a staple food with wide-ranging historical, cultural, religious, agricultural and culinary importance, as well as nutritional significance. For example, terms such as ‘breadwinner’, ‘breadbasket region’, ‘give us this day our daily bread’. Action During times of drought, hunger and famine, how can the ‘haves’ help the ‘have nots’? How is humanitarian aid and funding organised? How can we ‘feed the world’? Ethics Why is food security still an issue in 2017? Opportunity Wheat is a significant agricultural grain grown in Australia for export. What is Australia’s role in eliminating hunger and improving food security?

7. My object - Margo Insight Action Ethics Opportunity

8. Smart Sampling • Richness of Individual Choices • Exemplary • Accessible and resonant • The particular as a home for the general • Range within the Ensemble • Types, genres • Close to home, far away • Different perspectives • p67

9. Big Understandings, niche Understandings and the Big Save Activity A: Classification! • Discuss which categories each of the words would fit into: • BU • NU • BS • Cut out the words and stick them into one of three • groups on the A3 sheet based on your classification • Next to each group, write the number of words which • ended up in that group.

10. Big Understandings, Niche Understandings and the Big Save Activity B: Natural selection! • From the words on the provided sheet, your group is to select: • 2 big understandings • 2 other niche understandings that are worthy of being reframed in a lifeworthycurriculum • 1 niche understanding which doesn’t deserves a big save

11. Big Questions Learning Beyond What’s Settled and Known

12. “Big questions stand beside big understandings. They too are ready to go somewhere. They too are lifeworthy, big in the lives learners are likely to live” p73

13. Question Kits Consider a topic which needs more Big Questions Brainstorm ideas to add to your Question Kit Discuss with others on your table. Review your ideas and add them to your UbD or Concept-Based Curriculum Unit Planner.

14. Lifeworthy Learning Australia needs students who leave secondary schooling with…

15. Exit Slip Questions • What would ‘success’ look like and how to measure? How do we know we’re there/getting there?   • How do we get there?  What are our next steps – individual, Faculty or Academic Priorities strategies and goals?