How Planning Backward Prevents Common Problems
When you think about lesson planning, you probably imagine starting at the beginning and planning toward an end goal. You think you know how long it will take to get there and take your best guess about when you’ll complete units and be ready for assessments.
There is a better way. A way that takes the guesswork and wondering out of planning.
I’m talking about planning backward. This idea might be new to you. If it is, I ask you to keep an open mind, continue reading, and trust me.
When you plan backward, you start with the result.
You’ll identify where you want your students to be, the knowledge you want them to attain, and how they’ll demonstrate that knowledge. You’ll then determine what type of assessments you’ll need to measure your students’ learning. Only then will you start to plan lessons and activities.
Read this blog post to learn more about planning backward.
You’ll be amazed at how much easier and more efficient it is to plan when you have your end goal firmly in mind.
Planning backward is planning with intention
You wouldn’t plan a vacation without knowing your destination or start building a house without knowing what it will look like when it’s complete. Having a clear picture of the outcome results in vacations that go according to plan and houses that fit your needs. Lesson planning with the end goal in mind leads to students gaining knowledge and understanding without teacher stress and overwhelm.
There are many benefits to planning backward, the greatest of which is intentionality. Planning backward gives purpose to everything you do in the classroom. Having clear objectives and a definite picture of your destination eliminates many issues commonly experienced by teachers. Let’s talk through some of them.
1 | Planning too much or not enough
Planning that involves guesswork leads to insufficient planning. If you’re guessing how long you’ll need to cover a unit of study because you haven’t started with a firm end goal in mind, you’re likely to plan too much or, even worse, not enough.
Planning too much is inefficient and results in time wasted — precious time no teacher has enough of. Not planning enough leads to late-night scrambling for additional material that may or may not truly support your goals and objectives for your students. It’s easy to fall down Pinterest or TPT rabbit holes when you find yourself searching for anything that goes along with what you’re studying.
Planning backward takes the guesswork out of planning.
When you plan backward, you know your end goal and you’ve identified the benchmarks and assessments along the way. That makes planning lessons and activities that support these goals and prepare students to meet learning objectives simple.
2 | Not knowing how to “cover” all the standards
Planning lessons that cover learning standards thoroughly is a challenge for every teacher, whether new to the classroom or a veteran.
Part of planning backward is unpacking standards. Each standard provides you with an end of the year goal. You know what your students need to be able to do or what knowledge they need to have attained by the end of the year.
But how to get there? That’s not in the standard.
It’s up to you to unpack the standards and identify those stops along the way to reaching the end of year objectives. Backward planning works beautifully here. You start planning with that end goal in mind. Then work backward to identify those “stops” along the way — the intermediate steps your students will take on their way to reaching that goal. Those intermediate steps become your unit objectives, which then drive the planning of lessons and activities.
3 | Prepping activities that don’t lead to true understanding
Planning with the end in mind allows you to avoid the pitfalls of Pinterest. Now, don’t get me wrong. Pinterest is a great place to get ideas and even find valuable resources. If you go in with a clear plan and know what you’re looking for, that is.
If you don’t have a clear plan and learning objectives firmly in place, you can find yourself getting lost in Pinterest-land. For hours. The cute, the colorful, the bulletin board worthy — all will catch your eye. And it’s too easy to be unpleasantly surprised when you realize those cute activities you planned didn’t actually support your students’ learning.
4 | Poor student performance on assessments
Planning backward means planning assessments with intention. You already know where assessments will fall within a unit and what your students will be measured on. This allows you to plan lessons and activities that lead to your students gaining the knowledge and big understandings you will be measuring with these assessments. You — and your students — are confident that they are gaining the skills and knowledge they need.
Closing note…
There are so many benefits to backward planning. Planning with intention, with the end in mind, will make your lesson planning more effective, less time-consuming, and less stressful. You’ll plan lessons that are more engaging and more meaningful and you’ll be able to work your plan with confidence, without the stress and uncertainty of day-to-day planning.
Interested in learning more about planning backward? I teach a course that takes you through all the steps of backward planning, resulting in a year-long plan ready for you to implement in your classroom. Learn more here. I also have a ton o also have a ton of resources about planning backward. Check out my collection of blog posts and resources here.
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