Let's Talk About the KDB Framework

Hello!

A few weeks ago in one of my education classes, I was introduced to the KDB model, which stands for the Know, Do and Be in curriculum documents. At first, the KDB was a little unclear, especially as it can sometimes be tricky to find. However, after a closer examination and understanding of the KDB, I have been able to already better unpack curriculum documents. I thought that I would dedicate this post as a way to provide a basic definition and introduction to the KDB framework in education.

The Know

The Know in the KDB framework is defined as “the content that is mandated in curriculum documents by subject and grade level” (Drake, Reid, & Kolohon, 2014, p. 29). When looking for the Know in a curriculum, it can be identified through the “big ideas and enduring understandings” (Drake, et al., 2014, p. 134). The value of identifying the Know in a curriculum document is that it can help an educator understand what the main focus is of a unit and what the knowledge and understanding aspect is for students to grasp and be taught.

Image from:http://inspirationalquotes.club/education-is-learning-what-you-didnt-even-know-you-didnt-know/

The Do

In contrast, the Do is defined as the “twenty-first century skills” (Drake et al., 2014, p. 35). The main purpose of the Do is “to prepare a student to be a productive and participatory citizen of the twenty-first century” (Drake et al., 2014, p. 35). For an educator to successfully locate the Do in a curriculum they need to think about what the transferrable skills are that a student can either gain or develop from what they are learning. Such twenty-first century skills are often found to be interdisciplinary across the curriculum and according to Drake et al., (2014) can involve:

• Critical Thinking
• Communication
• Collaboration
• Creativity
• Computer or technological skills (p. 33) 

Image from: https://sites.google.com/site/abdulkadirhealthtechportfolio/21st-century-skills

The Be

The final aspect of the KDB framework is the Be. This is defined as the values, “attitudes and behaviours” (Drake et al., 2014, p. 134). In order to find the Be within a curriculum, it is easy to think about it as how you, as an educator, want students to be. For example, will you encourage your students to be:

• Curious
• Open-minded
• Autonomous
• Committed

The Be aspect of the KDB framework however, is probably the most difficult to identify simply because there is an issue in “determining whose values are considered the ‘right’ values or which values are worthy of cultivating” (Drake et al., 2014, p. 40). As a result, the Be in my opinion is very much about the individual student. While as an educator you can guide the student towards a set of values, beliefs and attitudes, it can be difficult determine which ones are correct based on the student as an individual.

Final Thoughts

As a prospective educator, I think that it is important to understand the basic concept of the KDB framework, while there are many ways to apply the KDB into classrooms, for where I am right now on my educational journey to becoming a future educator, creating a good strong foundation in these educational concepts is vital.  I hope that you, as a reader, will take these descriptions of the KDB and begin to unpack them into your own curriculum documents.

Till next time,

Miss Chong

References

Abdulkadir, H., H. (n.d). 21st century skills. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/abdulkadirhealthtechportfolio/21st-century-skills

Boorstin, J., D. (2015). Inspirational quotes. Retrieved from http://inspirationalquotes.club/education-is-learning-what-you-didnt-even-know-you-didnt-know/

Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st century learner. Canada: Oxford University Press.