Highlights from the work of

Grant Wiggins&

Jay McTighe

Understanding by Design

Professional Development“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 curriculums.

Understanding by Design is a way of thinking more carefully about design, not a program.

Remember, thinking like an assessor, not only an activity designer, is key to effective design.

Professional DevelopmentIdentify desired resultsDetermine acceptable evidenceThen and then only: Plan learning

experiences & Instruction… Yippie!!!!

Professional DevelopmentThe Desired Results consists of four

components1. Content standards2. Understanding3. Essential questions4. Knowledge and skills

#Key: Focus on Big Ideas!!!!

Professional DevelopmentEssential Questions:  After you identify the

enduring understandings for your unit, you then develop your essential questions.  These questions are geared to help students take an inquiry approach toward the various learning experiences you will design.  Look at your list of enduring understandings and develop 1-3 essential questions that cover all of them.  You may have one “overarching” essential

Professional DevelopmentGood essential questions have the following

criteria in common: Open-ended questions that resist a simple or single

right answer Deliberately thought-provoking, counterintuitive,

and/or controversial Require students to draw upon content knowledge

and personal experience Can be revisited throughout the unit to engage

students in evolving dialogue and debate Lead to other essential questions posed by

students

Professional DevelopmentExamples of EQ’sFreedom and Responsibility

What is freedom?Is freedom ever free?What is the relationship between freedom and

responsibility?What are the essential liberties?Is liberty and justice for all attainable?Should people sacrifice freedom in the interest of

security?When does government have the right to restrict the

freedoms of people?When is the restriction of freedom a good thing?

Professional DevelopmentLanguage and Literature

How is our understanding of culture and society constructed through and by language?

How can language be powerful?How can you use language to empower yourself?How is language used to manipulate us? In what ways are language and power inseparable?Is it possible to have culture without language?Is it possible to think without language? What is the purpose of: science fiction? satire?

historical novels, etc.?

Professional DevelopmentEssential Questions:

Are arguable and important to argue about.Are at the heart of the subject.Recur—and should recur—in professional

work, adlut, 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. (How

Powerful).

Professional DevelopmentEssential vs. Leading QuestionsEssential

Asked to be arguedDesigned to

“uncover” new ideas, views, lines of argument

Set up inquiry, heading to new understandings.

LeadingAsked as a

reminder, to prompt recall

Designed to “cover” knowledge

Point to a single, straightforward fact--a rhetorical question

Professional DevelopmentTips for using Essential Questions:

Use E.Q.s to organize programs, courses, and units of study.

“Less is more”.Edit to make them “student friendly”.Post the questions.

Professional DevelopmentKnowledge and Skill:

Students will know…

Students will be able to…

Example: The student will be able to explain how the American Dream has changed over time?

Professional DevelopmentStage 2- Assessment Evidence:We have been talking about assessment for a

couple of weeks.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?

Professional DevelopmentStage 2 is the essence of backward design &

alignment.“Measure what we value; value and act on

what we measure”.Link assessment types to curriculum priorities.

Professional DevelopmentAssessment Types

Traditional quizzess & testsPaper/pencil

Selected-response

Constructed response

Performance tasks & projectsOpen-ended

Complex

Authentic

Professional Development“Food for thought”: Two 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!