DI & UbD Chapter One

Understanding by Design is the model that focuses mostly on the “what” (content area) and the “how” (teaching instruction) of teaching, and the Differentiated Instruction model focuses more on the “whom” (students they teach) and the “where” (learning environment), while also having a focus in the “how”. This chapter mainly focused on ways that teachers can combine the two models and successfully and become a master at focusing on all major parts of teaching will make you a more successful teacher in the long run. The part in this chapter that impacted me the most, was when the authors said that if the teacher loses sight of any of the four elements of teaching (the whom, where, how & what), than “the whole fabric of their work is damaged and the quality of learning impaired.”

Most of this chapter is dedicated to talking about how, as a teacher, you can incorporate these ways of thinking into your teaching and how to be the most effective teacher you can be, you make sure to focus on all the elements and bring each of the elements into your classroom successfully. The chapter makes sure to note that student success is the most important thing, it’s important to make sure that you stress each of the elements in your classroom.

The authors make sure to stress that teachers adapt both the Understanding by Design model and the Differentiated Instruction model in order to maximize your own learning, your student’s learning and your classroom environment.