Understanding by design is a framework developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe.
Chapter 1: Backward Design
Chapter 1 of Understanding by design is called backward design. It can be broken up into multiple sections. Why "backward" is best Understanding by design claims that designing lessons with the end in mind is the best way to teach. The main argument for this is that the focus should be on learning not on teaching. This section seeks alignment between activities, assessments, and learning goals saying " our lessons, units, and courses should be logically inferred from the results sought, not derived from the methods, books, and activities with which we are most comfortable" (Understanding by Design, Wiggins and McTighe, page 14). This means that the resources used in the classroom must be centered on the results intended. All other resources must be a tool to reach those intended results. In a classroom situation, that intended result would be learning the content and reaching the overall learning objective. The purpose of school is not to get through the curriculum. It is to learn. This is emphasized in a later statement " too many teachers focus on the teaching and not the learning." What this means is that many times educators become more concerned with what activities or materials will be used in a lesson. The materials used are important but the purpose of the materials often forgotten. Materials can be viewed as a means to fill up time. In reality, materials should be chosen as necessary things that students will need in order to accomplish their learning goals and meet the objectives. This is a results focused approach. The twin sins of traditional design The twin sins of instructional design are activity-oriented designs and coverage. Activity-oriented design is defined by Wiggins and McTighe in Understanding by Design as "engaging experiences that lead only accidentally if at all to insight or achievement. The activities though fun and interesting do not lead anywhere intellectually.(Page 16)" Coverage is described as the typical getting through the material. Three Stages of Backwards Design Stage 1: Identify desired results- consider the goals, examine established content standards, and review curriculum expectations. This is a defining of priorities. Stage 2: Determine acceptable evidence- This step looks at how educators will know that students have reached the goal, and what the acceptable levels of profiency are. Stage 3: Plan learning experiences and instruction- In this stage, educattors begin to consider the knowledge, and skills that student sill need in order to perform effectively and achieve desired results.