Understanding+by+Design+and+Differentiation+in+the+Classroom

**Session** **Description****:**
This workshop will introduce participants to understanding-based curriculum design, adapted from the Understanding by Design model proposed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe and the Teaching for Understanding Model developed at Project Zero at Harvard University. Participants will have the opportunity to work with a comprehensive curriculum and assessment design template that allows the incorporation not only of “backwards planning” but also a range of 21st-century curricular elements, including collaboration, project-based learning, Web 2.0 technologies, and multicultural and global perspectives. You will learn 1. the key elements of understanding-based curriculum and assessment design 2. how to apply these elements to your own curriculum 3. how to design 21st-century leaning elements into your curriculum”

Presenter's Bio: Peter Gow, Chestnut Hill, MA
A teacher and administrator in independent schools for more than 35 years, Peter Gow has written and presented on curriculum, teaching, and professional development for a wide variety of professional audiences. In his work with schools and faculties he has focused on helping teachers maximize not only their capacity and effectiveness but also their sense of professional satisfaction. He is the author of //An Admirable Faculty: Recruiting, Hiring, Training, and Retaining the Best Independent School Teachers// (NAIS, 2005) and //The Intentional Teacher: Forging a Great Career in the Independent School Classroom// (Avocus, 2009). Peter currently works at Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.