Teaching and Learning
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Backward Design

Overview

Introduced in Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe (1998), "Backward Design" is a framework for taking a more intentional approach to designing courses and other learning experiences. Often, when instructors talk about content or what will be taught in a course, they talk about the text or the activities first, then from there they develop the assessments and learning goals. Backward Design flips that, well, backward. In this approach, we look at the learning goals of the course first. We ask what we want students to know and be able to do by the end of the course, lesson, or other learning experience and we determine our learning goals, outcomes, and objectives. Next, we identify how we will know that students understand and are able to do what we set out for them. How will we assess that learning? What exactly will they do to show us that they have met our learning goals? And then, finally, we consider the content and fill in how we will teach them that content.

 

Grant Wiggins explains further in this in-depth Understanding by Design Workshop Series recording.

 

Process

In this step we identify what we want our students to know and be able to do by the end of the course or learning experience.

Wiggins and McTighe (2014) suggest we ask ourselves the following key questions:

  • What should students know, understand, and be able to do?
  • What is the ultimate transfer we seek as a result of this learning experience? What will students need to be able to do repeatedly that they learn in this lesson or course that will apply – or transfer – to other areas of their lives or education?
  • What enduring understandings are desired? What big ideas or essential information will students need to remember after this lesson or course?

In this step, we create an assessment that directly measures the learning we identify in step one.

Wiggins and McTighe (2014) suggest we ask ourselves the following key questions:

  • How will we know if students have achieved the desired results?
  • What will we accept as evidence of student understanding and their ability to use (transfer) their learning in new situations?
  • How will we evaluate student performance in fair and consistent ways?

It is important to consider the many ways we can assess student learning. Some common methods of assessment are papers or quizzes, but also think about other, more active, forms of assessment that include activities such as teaching, journaling, group work, formulating questions, and role playing. Most importantly, make sure that the assessments are aligned with the activities or actions the students will take to show their understanding.

Plan the content – the lessons, the readings and videos, the formative assessments, etc. that will successfully prepare students for that final assessment created in step 2. This is where we determine our instructional strategies and learning activities – the what and how of the information we will teach. Because we have already identified our desired results, as well as how we will assess student learning, we can now intentionally determine what to include in our lessons to best support student success.

Wiggins and McTighe (2014) suggest we ask ourselves the following key questions:

  • How will we support learners as they come to understand important ideas and processes?
  • How will we prepare them to autonomously transfer their learning?
  • What enabling knowledge and skills will students need to perform effectively and achieve desired results?
  • What activities, sequence, and resources are best suited to accomplish our goals?

In this step, it is important to consider instructional strategies and course modalities to determine the best delivery methods to achieve the desired results we identified in steps one and two.

References

  • Wiggins, G., and McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by Design. ASCD.
  • Wiggins, G., and McTighe, J. (2014). Improve curriculum, assessment, and instruction using the Understanding by Design® framework. ASCD.