1. Understanding by Design
Highlights of the Work of
Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe by
Sandy Stuart-Bayer
Lee’s Summit High School Library

2. Understanding by Design
“Backward Design” focus:
Clarify results and evidence of them before designing lessons.
Teaching for understanding is the goal of teaching and compatible with standards-based curricula.
UbD is a way of thinking more carefully about design, not a program.

3. Understanding by Design
Thinking like an assessor, not only an activity designer, is key to effective design.
Overcoming the “twin sins” of “aimless activity” and “superficial coverage”.
The work is only “coverage” or “nice activity” unless focused on questions and big ideas, related to the Standards.

4. 3 Stages of “Backward” Design
Identify desired results
Determine acceptable evidence
Plan learning experiences & instruction.
Then and only then

5. The Understanding
Insightful use of knowledge and skill, observable in performance
Revealed via the “six facets”
(Think Blume-See handout)
Essential for maximal recall and apt transfer of “content” to new situations
Reflective, recursive “spiral”
Conventional linear [textbook-driven] scope and sequence is a major impediment to developing understanding.

6. 3 Stages of “Backward” Design
Identify desired results
Determine acceptable evidence
Plan learning experiences & instruction.
Then and only then

7. Stage 1 Identify desired results
Consists of four components
Content standards
Understandings
Essential questions
Knowledge and skills
Key: Focus on Big Ideas!

8. Some questions for identifying truly “big ideas”
Does it have many layers and nuances, not obvious to the naïve or inexperienced person?
Does it yield optimal depth and breadth of insight into the subject?
Do you have to dig deep to really understand its meanings and implications even if you have a surface grasp of it?

9. Some questions for identifying truly “big ideas” cont.
Is it (therefore) prone to misunderstanding as well as disagreement?
Are you likely to change your mind about its meaning and importance over a lifetime?
Does it reflect the core ideas as judged by experts?

10. Avoid truisms, facts, definitions!
The Big Ideas
To determine the Big Ideas for your unit or course, ask yourself…
Why? So what?
What is the “moral of the story”?
How is _____ applied in the world beyond the classroom?
What couldn’t we do if we didn’t understand _____?
Avoid truisms, facts, definitions!

11. Example: Bill of Rights Redux
Content Standards
Understandings (The Big Ideas)
Students will understand that:

12. Essential questions Are arguable-and important to argue about.
Are at the heart of the subject.
Recur--and should recur--in professional work, adult life, as well as in the classroom inquiry.
Raise more questions-provoking and sustaining engaged inquiry.
Often raise important conceptual or philosophical issues.
Can provide purpose for learning.

13. Essential vs. leading Q’s
Asked to be argued
Designed to “uncover” new ideas, views, lines of argument
Set up inquiry, heading to new understandings.
Leading
Asked as a reminder, to prompt recall
Designed to “cover” knowledge
Point to a single, straightforward fact-a rhetorical question

14. Tips for Using Essential Qs
use E.Q.s to organize programs, courses, and units of study.
“less is more”
edit to make them “kid friendly”
post the questions

15. Knowledge and Skill Students will know… Students will be able to…
Example: Bill of Rights

16. 3 Stages of “Backward” Design
Identify desired results
Determine acceptable evidence
Plan learning experiences & instruction.
Then and only then

17. Stage 2 - Assessment Evidence
What are key complex performance tasks indicative of understanding?
What other evidence will be collected to build the case for understanding, knowledge, and skill.
How will students self-assess?

18. Stage 2 is the essence of backward design & alignment
“Measure what we value; value and act on what we measure.”
Link assessment types to curricular priorities

19. Assessment types Traditional Worth being quizzes& tests Familiar with
paper/pencil
selected-response
constructed response
Performance tasks
& projects
open-ended
complex
authentic
Worth being
Familiar with
Important to
know& do
Big Ideas
Worth
understanding

20. 2 Questions for a practical test of performance tasks:
Could the performance be accomplished (or the test be passed) without in-depth understanding?
Could the specific performance be poor, but the student still understand the ideas in question?
The goal is to answer NO to both!

21. Scenarios for Authentic Tasks
Build assessments anchored in authentic tasks using GRASPS:
G-What is the Goal in the scenario?
R-What is the Role?
A-Who is the Audience?
S-What is your Situation (context)?
P-What is the Performance challenge?
S-By what Standards will work be judged in the scenario?

22. Example: Bill of Rights Redux
Lee’s Summit High School Library: Bill of Rights Redux
Example performance task as a Webquest.
Key Criteria and Other Evidence, including self-assessment

23. 3 Stages of “Backward” Design
Identify desired results
Determine acceptable evidence
Plan learning experiences & instruction.
Then and only then

24. Stage 3-Plan learning experience and instruction
A focus on engaging and effective learning, “designed in”
What learning experiences and instruction will promote the desired understanding, knowledge and skill?
How will you best promote the deepening of insight and interest?
How will you prepare students for the performance(s)?

25. Organize by W.H.E.R.E.
W = Where are we headed? and why? (from the student’s perspective)
H = How will the student be ‘hooked’?
E = What opportunities will there be to be equipped and explore key ideas.
R = How will we provide opportunities to rethink, rehearse, refine and revise?
E = How will students evaluate (so as to improve) their own performance?

26. For More Information
Wiggins, Grant & McTighe, Jay. Understanding by Design. New York: Prentice Hall
McKenzie, Jamie. Learning to Question, to Wonder, to Learn. New York: Linworth Publishing.2004.