Contributed by Annie

This paper describes how I used the framework of Understanding by Design to design an online Mathematics 9 financial literacy unit plan (see Appendix). Financial literacy is often overlooked in Mathematics 9 as teachers are focused on teaching prerequisite skills required for Foundations and Pre-Calculus 10. The goals for the unit will be for students to apply their understanding of financial concepts to create a budget for a planned purchase while answering the essential question, “How does making a plan influence our choices?” I designed the unit to be taught with both synchronous and asynchronous components.

The process of learning design involves the intentional planning of curriculum and activities. Multiple frameworks and models exist to guide teachers through the learning design process and support them in planning rich activities that provoke students to learn at multiple levels and in multiple ways. Understanding by Design (UbD) is a learning design model that uses the principle of backwards planning (McTigue, 2005). The teacher begins by determining what overall understandings students should have, designs a final, rich assessment task, and then develops learning activities that will lead students to this task. Beginning with the final task encourages teachers to consider overarching goals rather than solely concentrating on content. UbD supports a constructivist approach to planning curriculum, however, the teacher must design learning activities that encourage inquiry and collaboration rather than relying on direct instruction, a more objectivist approach. The intended outcome for a unit designed within the UbD framework is for students to understand better the concepts behind a unit rather than simply the content.

Access the Learning Design Document here: Financial Literacy Activity Design

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