Understanding by Design: Backward Design

From http://nccscurriculum.org/2014/01/22/understanding-by-design-a-framework-to-support-effective-teaching-and-learning/

The purpose of the Understanding by Design Backward Design is to basically plan lessons and units with the end in mind.  This end is the ability to understand and transfer the knowledge gained.  In other words, planning what the learning goals are by referring to the overall and specific expectations of the curriculum, and figuring out what evidence would need to be demonstrated by students in order to show deep understanding of the concepts through 'real world' applications, is the main idea of this system.  We need to have a goal in order to effectively coach our students in understanding the concepts taught.  And in order for the material to be understood in a higher-order manner, we need to specifically plan all specifics of a unit around those goals, prior to beginning the actual teaching and learning process.

The Understanding by Design Backward Design Framework consists of three stages.  These are summarized below:

Stage 1 - What should the students learn?

We must first figure out specifically what understanding of content and skill should be learned - the result.  Identify the big ideas and examine the curriculum in order to pinpoint the best learning targets.  Because there is so much content to learn, we cannot expect students to capture and understand everything we teach.  Thus, it is crucial that teachers pick and choose what best reflects those unit big ideas, by prioritizing lessons based on those specific learning targets.  If we are clear on the big ideas that we want students to understand, then this allows us to prioritize what we are to focus on from the curriculum. Consider the following six (6) questions when designing Stage 1 of a unit (quoted from Wiggins, 2005):

1) What big ideas and transfer goals are located in the curriculum?
2) What are the key verbs and nouns in the curriculum?
3) What should students eventually be able to do on their own if they follow the curriculum?
4) What will students come to understand if they really learn this content well?
5) What important questions are raised by this content?
6) What essential questions will guide inquiry into it?

 Stage 2 - What's the evidence of understanding?

The assessments used in this stage must reflect the learning targets prioritized in Stage 1.  They must also reflect transferability of knowledge through some kind of evidence or performance.  Students must be trained to apply what they have learned to various 'real life' situations in order to better understand the content learned.  In turn, this gives teachers a good idea of students' true level of understanding.  Thus, the aim of teaching facts and skill should not be to simply gain knowledge, but to "equip learners to be able to use or transfer their learning" - this should always be the focus (McTighe and Wiggins, 2012). So how can we assess the learning targets effectively?  By using the Six Facets of Understanding, we can determine which evidence of understanding is most appropriate for each learning target.  To read my post about the Six Facets of Understanding, click here.  Consider the following six (6) questions when designing Stage 2 of a unit (quoted from Wiggins, 2005):

1) What kind of 'real-world' performances test the understanding of this content?
2) What evidence will show that students have learned this content (as opposed to recall)?
3) What important transfer tasks should anchor the assessment since transfer is the essence of understanding?
4) What criterion-based scoring tool should be used to assess work related to the desired results, not just the particulars of the task?
5) Through what other evidence (ie. quizzes, tests, academic prompts, observations, homework, journals, etc) will students demonstrate achievement of the desired result?
6) Are the assessments used as feedback for students and teachers, as well as for evaluation? (quoted from Tasmanian Dept of Education, 2004)
6) How will students reflect upon and self-assess their learning?

Stage 3 - What teaching and learning strategies should be used to promote understanding?

This stage consists of the specifics of instructional planning, and must align with the learning targets in Stage 1 and the evidence of understanding in Stage 2.  These specifics include how the learning goals should be taught and include lesson sequences, teaching methods, resource materials, and classroom activities (Wiggins and McTighe, 1998).  It's always important however to keep in mind when planning teaching and learning strategies, that "understanding cannot simply be told; the learner has to actively construct meaning (...).  Teaching for transfer means that learners are given opportunities to apply their learning to new situations and receive timely feedback on their performance to help them improve" (McTighe and Wiggins, 2012).  Consider the following seven (7) questions when designing Stage 3 of a unit (quoted from Wiggins, 2005):

1) What activities and instruction will engage students, automate a skill, and help them better grasp the essence and value of this content?
2) If the 'content' is the answer, then what where the original questions?
3) What learning experiences will help uncover the big ideas?
4) When should the basics come first? When should they be on a 'need to know' basis?
5) When should I teach, when should I coach, and when should I facilitate student 'discovery'?
6) Are the learning activities tailored (personalized) to the different needs, interests, and abilities of the learners?
7) What should the students be able to do independently (transfer)? What should I be doing to make them more independent and able to transfer?

For a free copy of the UbD template resource designed by Jay McTighe, one of the founders of UbD, visit his website at:  http://jaymctighe.com/resources/downloads/