Backwards Planning

OFIP. TLCP. Have to love those acronyms we use! Just in case...OFIP - Ontario Focused Intervention Parternship and TLCP - Teaching Learning Critical Pathway. Who in TDSB has not heard of these yet?

Most schools are involved in pathways, but don't stress! It really shouldn't be an add on, but rather a compliment to what we're already doing in our classrooms. Just a quick review, a TLCP or pathway involves:

• Gather Evidence (EQAO, DRA, CASI, other classroom assessments)
• Determine Area of Greatest Need
• Current Practice (identify and share effective teaching practices)
• Design: Rubrics, Culminating Tasks, Data Walls
• PLC Action (professional learning community - ongoing dialogue about what's working and not, successes and failures, questions, sharing of best practices
• Culminating Task (what teaching is being done in order to ensure that students are able to complete the culminating task successfully?)
• Moderated Marking (building common understandings of what a level 1, 2, 3, and 4 look like)
• Communication (reflection)

Really long and complicated huh? Don't think of this as being in a set order (remember, no one size fits all model exists) - it really is a cyclical process with ongoing reflection and communication happening throughout.

Consider Backwards Planning:

1. What do I want the students to learn? THE BIG PICTURE - at the end of 6, 8, 10 weeks... students will be able to ________
2. How will I know the students are learning? ASSESSMENT - diagnostic, formative, and summative
3. How will I teach the students what they need in order to be able to demonstrate the big picture? INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES - gradual release of responsiblity, use of Marzano's strategies, etc.

The TLCP is a just another model of backwards planning! Please remember that no one size fits all model exists, so, remember to differentiate in terms of instructional strategies and assessment practices.

Please don't lose sight of the bigger picture when doing a pathway - although it's great that there's a culminating task and rubric, the most important part is how the students get to the culminating task - through instructional practices that ensure that students have what they need in order to be successful.