Backward+Design-UbD

__**Backward Design (Understanding by Design)**__ //Danielle Washington//

Backward design (also known as understanding by design) is a curriculum approach that requires curriculum designers to begin instructional planning by making a careful statement about the desired results, and then deriving the curriculum from performances called for or implied within the goals for attaining the desired results. Essentially, there are three phases of backward design: 1) identifying the desired results; 2) determining acceptable evidence; and 3) planning learning experiences and instruction (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). Stage one, identifying desired results requires educators to consider their goals, examine established content standards, and review curriculum expectations by clarifying what students should know, understand, and be able to do, as well as clarifying the enduring understandings of the subject. Stage two, determining acceptable evidence, encourages teachers and curriculum planners to "think like an assessor" and consider upfront how they will determine if students have attained the desired understandings (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). The final stage, planning learning experiences and instruction, requires educators to consider the knowledge and skills students will need to achieve the desired results, and the activities and instructional strategies that will equip students with these skills.
 * Description of the Approach **


 * Information Resources **
 * Books: Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). // Understanding by Design. // Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
 * Websites:
 * http://www.ascd.org/research-a-topic/understanding-by-design-resources.aspx
 * www.ubdexchange.org

According to Wiggins & McTighe (2005), there are several ways that an educator or curriculum designer can begin to implement backward design. These are known as the "six common entry points" to the design process, and include the following options:
 * Strategies and Ideas for Implementation **
 * 1. Begin with content standards:
 * Look for key nouns in the standards, and consider the big ideas implied by those nouns.
 * Identify the key knowledge and skill called for by the content standards, and infer related ideas and understandings.
 * Determine essential questions.
 * Consider key verbs and think of them as a blueprint for key performance assessments.
 * List the activities that will enable performance and will develop the ability to understand the big ideas.
 * 2. Begin by considering real-world application:
 * Clarify the larger purposes and ultimate goals of the content.
 * Identify specific, complex, real-world tasks that embody those goals.
 * Determine the understandings, knowledge, and skill learners will need to achieve mastery.
 * Sketch a learning plan that will enable practice, feedback, and competent performance.
 * 3. Begin with a key resource or favorite activity:
 * Start with a previously successful activity or a required resource.
 * Consider the big ideas this resource would help students to understand.
 * Clarify essential questions that will point students toward those ideas.
 * Identify the skills, facts, and understandings the resource is meant to produce.
 * Revise assessments and learning activities accordingly.
 * 4. Begin with an important skill:
 * Consider how this skill connects to other relevant skills.
 * Identify the content standards that refer to such skills.
 * Determine the type of assessments implied in the relevant standards.
 * Identify the strategies that are helpful in using such skills effectively.
 * Identify the big ideas and essential questions that support the skill.
 * Create learning activities that will enable learners to use the skills in context.
 * 5. Begin with a key assessment:
 * Clarify the goals for which the assessment exists.
 * Identify the standards that address these goals.
 * Infer relevant big ideas necessary to pass the assessment.
 * Develop and refine performance assessment tasks that parallel the required assessment.
 * 6. Begin with an existing unit
 * Given traditional lessons and assessments, place the elements into the UbD template and look for alignment across the three stages.
 * Determine whether the lessons relate deeply to the goals.
 * Focus on clarifying big ideas and long-term performance goals related to the standards.
 * Revise lessons and assessments as needed (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005, pp. 257-258)

One of the main challenges of UbD is balancing the goal of teaching for deep understanding with the necessity of teaching facts and skills. Focusing only big ideas can at times make the work seem too abstract, thus leaving students without essential knowledge and know-how (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). Another challenge of UbD is balancing the need for authentic assessment, which can be time-consuming and difficult to evaluate precisely, with the ease of "pencil and paper" tests and assessments. One suggested method for addressing these challenges is to aggressively seek student feedback throughout the planning and implementation of UbD in the classroom. Learners can provide feedback on what worked and didn't work in terms of big ideas, instructional strategies, and assessments. These insights can help educators and curriculum planners determine next steps for UbD in the classroom.
 * __Challenges and Considerations__**


 * __References:__**

Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). // Understanding by Design. // Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development