Understanding by Design⁚ A Framework Overview
Understanding by Design (UbD), developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, is a widely used framework for curriculum planning. It emphasizes backward design, starting with desired learning outcomes, then determining acceptable evidence, and finally planning learning experiences. This approach ensures alignment between goals, assessment, and instruction, promoting deeper student understanding.
The Backward Design Process
The UbD framework centers around a three-stage backward design process. Stage 1⁚ Identify Desired Results. This involves clearly defining the enduring understandings, essential questions, and knowledge students should acquire. Educators must articulate what they want students to deeply understand, not just know. Stage 2⁚ Determine Acceptable Evidence. This stage focuses on designing assessments that authentically measure student understanding of the desired results. These assessments should go beyond simple recall and assess application, analysis, and synthesis. Stage 3⁚ Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction. This final stage involves designing engaging and effective learning experiences that will help students achieve the desired results. The focus here is on creating activities that actively involve students in the learning process and allow them to demonstrate their understanding.
Key Concepts in UbD
Several key concepts underpin the Understanding by Design framework. “Enduring Understandings” represent the big ideas students should retain long after completing a unit. These are not facts but rather transferable insights. “Essential Questions” are thought-provoking inquiries that guide the learning process and encourage deeper thinking. They are open-ended and spark debate. “Knowledge” is the factual information and skills students need to grasp the enduring understandings. UbD emphasizes the importance of aligning assessments with these key concepts, ensuring that assessments measure true understanding rather than superficial knowledge recall. The framework also stresses the creation of engaging learning experiences that actively involve students in constructing their understanding.
Wiggins and McTighe’s Contributions
Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe are renowned for their influential work on Understanding by Design, revolutionizing curriculum development with their backward design approach and emphasis on deeper learning.
Understanding by Design (2nd Edition)
The second edition of “Understanding by Design,” a seminal work by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, builds upon the original framework’s success. It provides a refined and expanded approach to backward design, offering educators a more comprehensive guide to creating high-quality units. This updated version incorporates new research on learning and cognition, reflecting advancements in educational theory and practice. The book delves deeper into the nuances of understanding, clarifying the distinction between understanding and mere knowledge acquisition. It provides practical strategies for assessing student understanding effectively, aligning assessment with learning goals and promoting deeper learning. The authors offer detailed examples and templates, making the UbD framework more accessible and applicable to diverse educational contexts. The expanded second edition remains a valuable resource for educators seeking to design engaging and effective learning experiences.
The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units
Complementing their foundational work, “Understanding by Design,” Wiggins and McTighe offer a practical guide focused specifically on unit design. This resource provides a step-by-step approach to crafting coherent and engaging learning experiences. It emphasizes the importance of clearly defined learning goals, aligned assessments, and thoughtfully planned instructional activities. The guide offers numerous templates and examples to assist educators in translating the UbD framework into concrete classroom practice. It addresses the challenges of creating units that promote deep understanding and cater to diverse learners. The book emphasizes the iterative nature of unit design, encouraging reflection and refinement based on student performance and feedback. Readers will find practical strategies for incorporating various assessment methods, ensuring that evaluation accurately measures student understanding. This guide serves as a valuable tool for educators seeking to implement the UbD framework effectively at the unit level.
Applying UbD in Curriculum Development
Wiggins and McTighe’s Understanding by Design provides a structured approach to curriculum development, ensuring alignment between learning goals, assessment, and instruction. This framework promotes a thoughtful and effective design process for educators.
Identifying Desired Results⁚ Stage 1
The initial phase in Understanding by Design (UbD) focuses on clearly articulating the desired learning outcomes. This involves identifying the enduring understandings students should acquire—the big ideas that transcend specific facts and skills. These understandings represent the core concepts students should grasp, enabling them to apply their knowledge to novel situations. Alongside enduring understandings, essential questions are formulated. These questions are open-ended and thought-provoking, prompting students to explore the enduring understandings in depth. They are designed to stimulate critical thinking and encourage a deeper engagement with the subject matter. Finally, this stage also involves defining the knowledge and skills students will need to demonstrate their understanding. These are the specific pieces of information and abilities necessary to achieve the overarching enduring understandings and answer the essential questions effectively. The careful consideration of these elements ensures that the subsequent stages of the UbD process remain focused and aligned with the intended learning goals.
Determining Acceptable Evidence⁚ Stage 2
Stage two of Understanding by Design (UbD) centers on defining how student understanding will be assessed. This involves carefully considering what constitutes acceptable evidence of learning, aligning directly with the desired results established in Stage 1. The focus shifts from what students should know and be able to do to how their understanding will be demonstrated. This may include a variety of assessment methods, such as performance tasks, projects, essays, or traditional tests. The key is that each assessment should directly measure the enduring understandings and address the essential questions identified previously. This stage necessitates creating assessment criteria that clearly articulate the standards for acceptable performance. These criteria provide both the teacher and the student with clear expectations, ensuring that the assessment process is fair, transparent, and directly reflects the learning objectives. By meticulously planning assessment strategies upfront, educators can ensure that the chosen methods accurately gauge student understanding of the core concepts and skills.
Planning Learning Experiences and Instruction⁚ Stage 3
The final stage in Understanding by Design (UbD) focuses on crafting effective learning experiences and instruction; This stage is not simply about choosing activities; it’s about strategically designing engaging and rigorous learning experiences that directly support students in achieving the desired results and demonstrating their understanding through the assessments outlined in Stage 2. Teachers must select and sequence activities that will challenge students to grapple with the essential questions and develop the targeted understandings. This may involve incorporating a variety of teaching methods, such as inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, or problem-based learning. The key is to create a coherent and purposeful learning pathway that fosters deep understanding, rather than simply covering content. Careful consideration should be given to how the learning experiences will actively involve students, encourage collaboration, and provide opportunities for feedback and revision. The goal is to design a dynamic and engaging learning environment that effectively prepares students for the assessments and ensures they can confidently demonstrate their understanding.
UbD and Assessment
Understanding by Design (UbD) emphasizes assessment as an integral part of the learning process, not merely a final evaluation. It stresses aligning assessment with learning goals to gauge student understanding.
Types of Assessment in UbD
Understanding by Design (UbD) advocates for a variety of assessment types to gain a comprehensive understanding of student learning. These aren’t limited to traditional tests but encompass formative and summative approaches. Formative assessments, such as quizzes, class discussions, and observations, offer ongoing feedback and adjust instruction accordingly. Summative assessments, like final projects or exams, evaluate the overall achievement of learning goals. UbD emphasizes using both types to paint a complete picture of student progress. Authentic assessments, mirroring real-world applications of knowledge and skills, are also encouraged. These might include presentations, performances, or problem-solving tasks that demonstrate deeper understanding. The selection of assessment methods depends on the specific learning objectives and the nature of the subject matter. A balanced approach ensures a fair and thorough evaluation of student learning within the UbD framework.
Using Assessment to Inform Instruction
In Understanding by Design (UbD), assessment isn’t merely an end-of-unit evaluation; it’s an integral part of the instructional process. Data gathered from formative assessments, such as quizzes and classwork, provides valuable insights into student understanding. This allows teachers to identify misconceptions or areas needing further clarification. This information then directly informs instructional decisions. Teachers can adjust their teaching strategies, providing additional support or extending challenges based on student needs. Summative assessments, while evaluating overall learning, also offer crucial feedback for future curriculum design. By analyzing student performance on summative tasks, educators can refine their teaching approaches and improve the effectiveness of future units. This iterative process ensures that instruction remains responsive to student learning, maximizing its impact and fostering deeper understanding.
Resources for Understanding by Design
Numerous online resources, articles, and publications by Wiggins and McTighe offer valuable insights into UbD. Their books, including “Understanding by Design” and “The Understanding by Design Guide,” provide comprehensive guidance for educators.
Online Resources and Articles
The internet provides a wealth of resources for educators seeking to implement Understanding by Design (UbD). Many websites offer articles, blog posts, and presentations that delve into the nuances of backward design. These online resources often include practical examples, templates, and tools to assist in the design process. Search engines such as Google, Bing, and others can be used to find numerous articles on UbD written by various experts in the field of education. These resources often provide additional perspectives and insights that complement the information found in Wiggins and McTighe’s books. Furthermore, many educational organizations and professional development providers offer online courses and workshops focused on UbD, offering interactive learning experiences and opportunities for collaborative learning. These online resources often include downloadable materials, such as checklists, rubrics, and lesson plans, which can significantly aid in the practical application of UbD principles in the classroom.
Books and Publications by Wiggins and McTighe
Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe are prolific authors in the field of educational design, and their works are essential reading for anyone interested in Understanding by Design (UbD). Their seminal work, “Understanding by Design,” is available in multiple editions, providing a comprehensive guide to the UbD framework. This book details the backward design process, emphasizing the importance of starting with desired results and working backward to plan assessments and learning experiences. Beyond their flagship publication, Wiggins and McTighe have authored several other influential books and articles further exploring various aspects of curriculum design, assessment, and effective teaching strategies. These resources offer practical advice and tools for educators at all levels, from designing individual lessons to developing comprehensive curriculum units. Their publications are highly regarded for their clarity, practicality, and research-based foundation, providing a solid foundation for educators seeking to enhance their teaching practices and improve student learning outcomes.