Understanding By Design: The Six Facets of Understanding

From http://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/blooms-taxonomy/5-alternatives-to-blooms-taxonomy/

As already discussed in the Understanding by Design Backward Design post, Stage 2 of the Understanding by Design Backward Framework focuses on the use of key evidence to demonstrate thorough and real understanding of learning via transferability.  The Six Facets of Understanding are often used by offering different ways for determining the level of understanding reached by each student.  I have added an explanation of each of the facets below, including a short summary of each facet, performance verbs used to entice the understanding and examples of science activities to demonstrate the use of each facet:

FACET 1 - Ability to Explain:  For students to understand something, they must be able to "explain concepts, principles and processes by putting it in their own words, teaching it to others, justifying their answers, and showing their reasoning" (McTighe and Wiggins, 2012).  In this facet, there is one right answer, and students must be able to justify it.  Therefore, "if students are unable to explain the (what, how, why, when, where, and who), they do not thoroughly understand the information" (Kate Elme's Blog).

• Summary:  Making generalizations; justifying facts and data; providing insightful connections; illuminating examples and detailed illustrations (taken from McWilliams, 2009).
• Teachers ask learners to:  Demonstrate, derive, describe, design, exhibit, express, induce, instruct, justify, model, predict, prove, show, synthesize, teach (taken from Wiggins and McTighe, 2000).
• Examples:  Link everyday actions and facts to the laws of physics, concentrating on easily misunderstood aspects (e.g., mass compared to weight) (taken from Tom March Workshop, 2014).  Having student explain a problem with examples to support how to solve it, based on knowledge gained from lectures and activities.

FACET 2 - Ability to Interpret:  Students must be able to translate ideas and make information meaningful through personal viewpoints, instead of searching for a 'right' answer.  They should also be able to "interpret by making sense of data, text, and experience through images, analogies, stories, and models" (McTighe and Wiggins, 2012).  The use of stories and parables is a great way to make complex information more meaningful and memorable, but will always differ between students.

• Summary:  Telling meaningful stories; offering apt translations; revealing historical or personal dimensions to ideas and events; making the object of understanding personal (taken from McWilliams, 2009).
• Teachers ask learners to:  Create analogies, critique, document, evaluate, illustrate, judge, make sense of, make meaning of, provide metaphors of, read between the lines, represent, tell a story of, translate (taken from Wiggins and McTighe, 2000).
• Examples:  Take readings of pond water to determine whether the algae problem is serious (taken from Tom March Workshop, 2014).  Translating a problem, issue or story based on current or past personal experiences.

FACET 3 - Application:  Students must be able to use the knowledge they learned and apply it to a new 'real life' situation (Kizirian, 2012).  This is perhaps one of the most meaningful facets as it connects the classroom to reality.  "We need to create assessments that are as close as possible to the situation in which a scholar, artist, engineer, or other professional attacks such problems" (Huff, 2007). For example, webquests involve having students apply concepts learned while having them interpret data and solve problems as an expert would (Huff, 2007).

• Summary:  Effectively using knowledge; adapting knowledge and skills in diverse and real contexts; 'doing' the subject (taken from McWilliams, 2009).
• Teachers ask learners to:  Adapt, build, create, debug, decide, design, exhibit, invent, perform, produce, propose, solve, test, use (taken from Wiggins and McTighe, 2000).
• Examples:  Perform a chemical analysis of local stream water to monitor EPA compliance, and present findings (taken from Tom March Workshop, 2014).  Applying what was learned through real life experiences such as an Acids and Bases lab using household chemical products.

FACET 4 - Perspective:  Students develop the ability to understand multiple perspectives or others' points of view while analyzing the motives behind these ideas (seeing the big picture) (Kizirian, 2012).  The advantage of this facet is that students develop critical thinking skills and thus become better informed at determining what is important based on the reasoning behind the new perspectives.  Note that opportunities to debate the course big ideas should not be offered (Kate Elme's Blog). 

• Summary:  Seeing and hearing different points of view from critical eyes and ears; seeing the 'big picture' (taken from McWilliams, 2009).
• Teachers ask learners to:  Analyze, argue, compare, contrast, criticize, infer (taken from Wiggins and McTighe, 2000).
• Examples:  Conduct thought experiments (e.g. Einstein's "What would the world be like if I were riding on a beam of light?") (taken from Tom March Workshop, 2014).  Learning to think like a biologist, chemist, ecologist, geneticist, or other and completing a performance activity to further understand like the scientist or other.  Class discussions activities where classmates can thoroughly explain their different points of view while including the probable points of view of scientific experts about the same topic.

FACET 5 - Empathy: Students develop the ability to put their own emotions aside in order to understand someone else's thoughts and feelings about something.  This allows students to better understand another's perspective, which is an extremely valuable skill linked to emotional intelligence. "Students have to learn how to open-mindedly embrace [others'] ideas, experiences, and texts” (Kate Elme's Blog).  

• Summary:  Finding value in what others might find odd, alien or implausible; perceiving sensitivity on the basis of prior direct experience (taken from McWilliams, 2009).
• Teachers ask learners to:  Assume the role of, be like, be open to, believe, consider, imagine, relate, role play (taken from Wiggins and McTighe, 2000).
• Examples:  Read and discuss pre-modern and discredited scientific writings to identify plausible or "logical theories" (given the information available at the time) (taken from Tom March Workshop, 2014).  Embrace other people's feelings about a certain topic through role play or journaling activities.

FACET 6 - Self-Knowledge:  To understand and recognize one's own views, values, perspectives, biases, prejudices and stereotypes (McTighe and Wiggins, 2012).  It involves deep self-reflection and helps students understand why they think the way they do.  This is an extremely valuable facet as it not only involves the development of emotional intelligence, it also increases one's level of integrity.

• Summary:  Showing metacognition awareness; being aware of what we don't understand; perceiving what shapes our own understanding (taken from McWilliams, 2009).
• Teachers ask learners to:  Be aware of, realize, recognize, reflect, self-assess (taken from Wiggins and McTighe, 2000).
• Examples:  Propose solutions to an ineffective cooperative learning activity based on what didn't work in your group (taken from Tom March Workshop, 2014).  Self-assessment of an assignment, while explaining what they will do to improve next time.

Using the Six Facets of Understanding is a concept I plan on using in my classroom.  However, assessing these very complex activities can prove to be difficult.  Wiggins and McTighe have thankfully created a rubric which complements the facts. For a free copy, click here.

What type of activities do you use, which fits into the Six Facets of Understanding?