Transform Your Teaching with Understanding by Design
Can planning backward help your students move forward?
Planning backward will change what and how you teach. Radically. It will challenge you. It might even frustrate you at first. It will also result in instruction that is cohesive, aligned, and meaningful.
When I started planning backward, using the Understanding by Design® method it transformed my teaching. My lesson planning process and the quality of my instruction as a whole changed dramatically. For the better.
Want to learn more? Keep reading.
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What is Understanding by Design®?
Understanding by Design® (UbD) is an approach to curriculum planning. It was created by the late Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. They say, “It is a way of thinking more purposefully and carefully about the nature of any design that has understanding as the goal.” I say it’s the most efficient way I’ve found to create units that meet three vital criteria - they are meaningful, cohesive, and effective.
Understanding by Design® is made up of two key ideas: understanding and design. It forces teachers to decide what is most worth understanding within the content. UbD then takes understanding further by emphasizing the transfer of knowledge. Students learn to think globally. They learn to think critically. As a teacher, you identify the “big ideas” to teach in one area that also apply elsewhere.
UbD goes beyond instruction to assessment. Have you heard the old saying, “Just because you know something doesn’t mean you understand it?” UbD emphasizes true understanding.
When developing assessments, ask yourself:
Does this allow students to show true understanding?
Can students explain this concept in their own words?
Can students demonstrate what they learned in a way other than the one I taught them?
Can students teach the concept to someone else?
When students understand the how and why behind each lesson, they are able to use that knowledge and apply it to new experiences. They are able to think critically, which is the ultimate goal.
What does planning backward look like?
Planning using UbD is made up of three main stages. I’m going to take you through each one.
Identify desired results
Decide what you want your students to be able to do, know, and understand by the end of the unit.
What information should they take with them?
What should they be able to do?
What big ideas should they be able to transfer to other areas of their lives?
Determine acceptable evidence
Decide how you’ll assess your students. What will serve as your proof they have truly learned the content? Include various and numerous measures throughout the unit to ensure understanding from beginning to end. Assessments can include:
Observation
Discussion
Exit tickets
Journal writing
Teaching a peer
Plan learning activities
This is the stage where you create your learning plan, finding activities, materials, and resources to support your goals. When you have an end goal in mind, creating the learning plan is so much easier.
When you choose activities and projects, select only those directly related to helping students meet your end goal. UbD helps you resist the temptation of “the fluff” - those projects that look adorable in the hallway outside another teacher’s door or displayed on a teacher’s Instagram feed. The problem with fluff is it lacks instructional value. UbD helps you fight the fluff and focus on meaningful learning every day!
How can I get started with Understanding by Design®?
First, pack your patience. Making the transition to this type of planning takes time. It takes practice. In the beginning, you may even feel like this method makes planning worse instead of better. As all good teachers know, it takes time to master a new way of doing things. And trust me - the work you’ll put into learning and mastering this method is so very worth what you’ll get out.
A few tips I wish I’d followed that will make things easier for you:
Go slowly
Start with one lesson or unit. I recommend choosing one you know well and have taught several times before. Use UbD tools to streamline and enhance your unit. Give yourself time - and grace - to learn the process before you take on additional units.
Be flexible
The Understanding by Design book and Jay McTighe’s website are valuable resources. I used them to help me through the process and recommend the same to you. Don’t look at these templates and forms as being part of a rigid structure or as the only way to plan. My process was quite a mess when I got started! That mess eventually turned into a neatly typed, organized plan, but be okay with the mess at first. It’s all part of the process.
Get help
Don’t try to do this on your own. See if you can find a peer who is ready to tackle UbD, too. Having a learning buddy always helps! Don’t limit yourself to someone who works in your building. You just need a like-minded teacher who’s ready to work through the process with you.
I hope I’ve helped you understand how valuable this method of planning can be. If you take the time to learn it well, you will become a more efficient and effective teacher. Your students will gain a deeper understanding of concepts and ideas, and they’ll be able to take their understanding further than ever before. UbD transformed my teaching and it will transform yours, too.
Don’t miss my Understanding by Design Pinterest board. It’s the place to go to find articles, videos, and links to sample units. You’ll also get to peek behind the scenes of schools that are successfully using the framework!
Looking for more help?
If you’re looking for step-by-step instructions for completing the tips shared here, be sure to check out my Planned Just So™ course. It’s the only planning course of its kind that teaches you step-by-step how to create a year-long instructional plan, design units that are aligned to your standards and keep students engaged, and provide you with tips for making your overall planning routine as simple as possible.
In my course, you will go from feeling stuck and overwhelmed to feeling empowered and in control as you learn the systematic process of creating lesson plans that increase rigor for your students and free time for yourself.
Planned Just So™ will transform your professional life and help you reclaim your personal life. Learn more here.
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