Not All Deconstruction is Created Equal

As I am working with a great cohort of Principals and Coaches in Anaheim City School District, I am reminded of the idea that common sense is NOT common practice.  Knowing and doing are not the same thing. This is obvious, but the obviousness doesn’t prevent us from falling victim to the assumption they are the same. We think once we know something we will always remember or be able to apply that knowledge, but this is definitely not true.  

Deconstructing standards seems like it is something that ALL teachers should do before lesson or assessment planning. The reality, however, is that teachers generally do not deconstruct standards, they just jump in and start teaching the standards.  What is the harm?  The harm is that we may not realize the intimate details of the standards at the particular grade level.  Not accessing those intimate details means that the students may not get what they need to be successful at the next grade or beyond. 

A couple of key questions to ask when deconstructing the standards help us see the standards from an INSTRUCTIONAL perspective.

1.  What do students need to KNOW?
2.  What do students need to DO?
3.  How will students be expected to SHOW their learning?
4.  What IMPACT does this have on instructional planning and delivery?

While we have been deconstructing standards for a few decades now, its important to remember that not all deconstruction is created equal and we need to make sure we are looking at the standards from an instructional perspective.  

Here is a visual I use with educators to assist in this instructional deconstruction.