Understanding By Design - Clarity

Photo Credit: https://barbenglish.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/understanding-by-design/
I remember reading Understanding by Design in my undergraduate classes, but looking back at it now - several years later - I realize I only comprehended a small portion of w
hat it means to implement Backwards Design.


Chapter 3 of Understanding by Design helped elucidate some of the larger themes concerning this method of planning. In order to share my learning and reflection, I've used a graphic organizer titled "Final Countdown" to organize some of my thoughts.


3 Important Things to Remember about Backwards Design

 1. Backwards Design is "goal-oriented". This means teachers' planning and curriculum is directed at having their students aim and achieve specific results. This keeps the teacher and student focused on a larger goal, connecting many of the dots within units.

2. Our curriculum is not our end goal. Our end goal is "intellectual competence" and our curriculum and learning activities help our students get there. In my classroom, I interpret "intellectual competence" as "being a good, well-informed and capable citizen." Throughout history Rhetoricians have been concerned with teaching the public to be informed citizens, capable of interacting positively in society. Since I teach Language Arts (which encompasses Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, and Media Literacy) this focus applies directly to my classroom.

3. Understanding by Design seems like a lofty restructuring of years-worth of curriculum, but you can start small using their Step-by-Step process for breaking down curriculum into achievable chunks.


2 Connections to What I Already Know

 1. Throughout Chapter 3 of Understanding by Design, the authors share some examples of Content Standards that are either too "nebulous" or too specific. That made me consider Minnesota's 9-12 Language Arts standards; and I've got to say - I think our standards are stated very well. This makes them easier for teachers to break down and transmit that information to our students.

2. Students learn best when given specific outcomes to achieve. Students learn even better when they can understand how our classroom learning relates to their lives in a big-picture way. This point ties in with my final category of reflection:


1 Question I Still Need Answered

 1. What are the different impacts on students when they see an Essential Question vs. a Content Standard vs. an Objective. Should teachers be implementing all three in their daily schedule or is there one that stands out from the rest as being the most effective?

Backwards Design: Romeo and Juliet

View the image below to see one way you can begin implementing Backwards Design into your classroom. I chose my unit on Romeo and Juliet and you can see I'm beginning my journey by analyzing what I elements from this play I believe students are "worth being familiar with"


Worth Being Familiar With

  • Iambic Pentameter
  • Dramatic Structure
  • Character Tropes
  • Allusions throughout History
  • Shared Experience of the Story

Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 13, 2018 at 7:12 AM

    I like how you pointed out that curriculum is a means for our students to arrive at "intellectual competence." So often we feel driven by our curriculum without asking the question: "how will this help our students to become "a well informed, capable citizen?" (to use your words).

    My question would be, "Do all the standards in any content area help our students become "a well informed, capable citizen?" and if we say that they don't, should we not be teaching them? This is something I struggle with when my students ask that common question, "When am I ever going to use this?!"

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 17, 2018 at 12:51 PM

    I like how you mentioned how we need to work towards SPECIFIC goals, rather than more broad ones. I think it can be easy to be lazy and not state these, but having goals helps direct us towards where we need to be as teachers and as a class.

    If creating backwards-designed curriculums seem like a daunting task, how can we modify what we currently use (which must have some merit) to fit this model? Our some of your current techniques using backwards design in any way?

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousApril 14, 2018 at 3:20 PM

    I also question what effect posting essential questions, standards, and/or objectives. We are told it helps and to do it, but is there one that is more important than the others when it comes to the benefit of the student? Personally, I'd think essential questions would be retained in a students memory throughout the unit and school year, or even past graduation. Even if they answered the questions during instruction, if students retain the question, their minds might continue to think and might offer new perspectives as the student grows.

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