Articulate:
To me, to Articulate means setting perfectly clear expectations as to what the goals and objectives are for each unit and each class. Articulation begins with a specific and detailed KUD that plainly states the objectives in terms of what each student should know, understand, and be able to do by the end of the unit or year. To break that down and articulate those goals even further, scales and targets need to be explicitly worded so that all parties involved (the students, parents, and teachers) all understand the aim of each student. Each scale preceding and following the target should be equally unambiguous so that students can grasp what needs to be done in order to advance from a one to a two, a two to a three, etc.
The beauty of articulation is that it takes away the arbitrary nature of traditional grading. No longer is a student told, for example, "You need to write well in order to get an A in this class." Articulation is the antonym of ambiguity, and allows for transparency between the teacher's expectations and the student.
Articulation also means that the purpose of every day's lessons and activities becomes clearly connected to the big ideas of the KUD. With articulation, students will be able to make the jump from the minutia of their small assignment to the grander vision and skills. In relation, the clearer you articulate that the objectives and activities your class undertakes are opportunities for the student to practice a skill that will be inherently valuable to the real world conflicts and obstacles he/she will face, the more purpose the student will see in the activity and the more engaged they will become.
To me, to Articulate means setting perfectly clear expectations as to what the goals and objectives are for each unit and each class. Articulation begins with a specific and detailed KUD that plainly states the objectives in terms of what each student should know, understand, and be able to do by the end of the unit or year. To break that down and articulate those goals even further, scales and targets need to be explicitly worded so that all parties involved (the students, parents, and teachers) all understand the aim of each student. Each scale preceding and following the target should be equally unambiguous so that students can grasp what needs to be done in order to advance from a one to a two, a two to a three, etc.
The beauty of articulation is that it takes away the arbitrary nature of traditional grading. No longer is a student told, for example, "You need to write well in order to get an A in this class." Articulation is the antonym of ambiguity, and allows for transparency between the teacher's expectations and the student.
Articulation also means that the purpose of every day's lessons and activities becomes clearly connected to the big ideas of the KUD. With articulation, students will be able to make the jump from the minutia of their small assignment to the grander vision and skills. In relation, the clearer you articulate that the objectives and activities your class undertakes are opportunities for the student to practice a skill that will be inherently valuable to the real world conflicts and obstacles he/she will face, the more purpose the student will see in the activity and the more engaged they will become.
KUD Scales
Learning Targets Scales
Scales Scales