UbD for Dummies

While the language arts department did something language artsy and the math department did something mathy, the rest of the building was stuck in another UbD workshop. For those who are not aware of what UbD is, it stands for Understanding by Design which is fancy for rewriting your curriculum in a different template. Before I continue any further, I just would like to state the word "UbD' looks ridiculously silly considering the B is in lowercase. For crying out loud, capitalize the b, is really going to kill you.

One of the topics discussed today was Knowledge vs. Understanding. Knowledge are facts learned, such as a new vocabulary word, the date when macaroni noodles were invented, or that cat's always poop right after you clean the litter box. Understanding on the other hand, is applying a new fact into practice. For example, I just learned what an apple was now I'm going to eat one to see if I like it.

During this mini-lesson (if you want to call it that), I came up with some fantastic examples of Knowledge vs. Understanding. Isn't that the point of a workshop or lesson, to relate it back to self?

Knowledge: A penis is a male organ.
Understanding: Applying said penis into sexual activity.

Knowledge: Defining the word hygiene and making a list of steps in which a human would become clean.
Understanding: Sharing the Steps of Taking a Shower, Steps of Brushing One's Teeth, Steps on Washing Clothes, etc. and giving them to Wayne (who smelled extra ripe when I saw him in the hall at the end of the day).

Knowledge: Ducks quack.
Understanding: Dressing up like a duck and quacking at all of the shoppers in the mall.

Knowledge: The Beatles are a talented musical group from England.
Understanding: Providing musical instruments to a group of four beetles and listening to them "rock out" as they play Hey Jude.