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.
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
Boorstin, J., D. (2015). Inspirational quotes. Retrieved from http://inspirationalquotes.club/education-is-learning-what-you-didnt-even-know-you-didnt-know/
Miss Chong,
ReplyDeleteI appreciated your insight on the Know, Do, Be (KDB) framework. I found your descriptions to be a very helpful way in understanding the main ideas of the KDB. When I read this statement that you mentioned, “The main purpose of the Do is to prepare a student to be a productive and participatory citizen of the twenty-first century,” I had to ask myself, how do we prepare students to be 21st century learners? Do we need individualized programs that solely focus on this concept of being a 21st century learner, or would it be valuable to incorporate it throughout each class? Do you think all teachers are able to engage their learners in this concept even if they have been teaching for many years and are not well equipped themselves? These are just some questions to consider. The “Be” that you talked about really made me think about how tough it will be to provide students with the skills they need to shape who they are as a person. I agree that the “BE” concept may be the most difficult because each student is unique and it may be challenging to try and determine what that student needs. Thank you for a great blog as it gave me some great ideas to think about as I begin my journey as a future educator.
EJD
Miss Chong,
ReplyDeleteI love how topical and relevant this post is, as we, as education students, are currently learning all about the KDB framework in class! I also can admit that at first the KDB was difficult to locate, so I think that this is a very useful and helpful blog post that you have created for fellow colleagues.
Personally I am glad to see the “Do” being described as “twenty-first century” skills, because in one of my other education classes I had just recently learned about the fact that we are still teaching from a education model developed 100 years ago, which we can all agree is far from right! So, I am glad to see that we are transitioning our education system into a more modern one. I can’t help but ask myself: how are we benefiting society if we are teaching students from the industrial model, yet want them to be “twenty-first century” citizens? Isn't this contradictory? All this being said, I would love to hear more of your personal opinion on this: what twenty-first century skills do you think are the most important for students to develop? And how can we go about developing them?
Furthermore, your description of the “Be” is exactly what I was thinking as I began to read it- whose opinions and “’preferred values” are listened to, and whose are ignored? I like how you included your perception of the Be! What are some ways you think you can strive for this- the individual values- as a future educator?
Thank you for this handy breakdown and description of such an essential component of the curriculum. I think, as we may be using blogs in our classrooms in the future, this may even be something you would like to share with your students one day! After all, shouldn't students know what is expected of them?
Best,
Miss Colella
Miss Chong,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed that you took the time to do a review of KDB framework considering that it can be a complicated framework to understand when just being introduced to it. Even though that we have been looking at the KDB model in terms of curriculum assessment I have had difficulties myself fully understanding each section. I found your blog post helpful in providing a solid examination of the “Know”, “Do”, and “Be”, which was both engaging and simple. Also, I found that your post was able to present how the model can be vital for creating a strong educational foundation. That can be effective in the future of our educational journey, especially with wanting to make an inclusive classroom. I found that this was achieved by your references to each skill and concept behind each component of the KDB model. As well, I found your reflection on how the “Be” can be subjective in determining which values are considered right for a student to be true. Because how do you determine what learning is or is not if each skill gained by a student is different? It is difficult in trying to understand how a student will benefit as well as to how expectations can differ based on academic skills or personal skill.
- Nicola