#4 - The Main Ideas of UbD: Working Backwards

To appreciate the difference of the backward design model in UbD, we need to reflect on what was the norm for curriculum planning and delivery. Content was primarily textbook driven in terms of topics. Teachers "covered" the content during a marking period. Whenever it was time to give a test, they looked at how far they progressed in coverage before constructing questions for the test. The process is sequenced as follow:

• Select topics from the book
• Teach the topics
• Construct test for the topics covered

The Backward Design model begins with learning goals - in our case, the standards the unit will address. The unit standards are then "unpacked" to reveal what we want students to know, understand and be able to do. These are broken down into Knowledge, Skills, and Enduring Understandings. Once we know what we want the students to walk away with at the end of the unit, we design assessments that will provide us with evidence that students meet the standards. Only when we have done this do we design the learning activities and experiences that will best lead our particular group of students towards the learning goals. Contrast the sequence of this model below with the traditional model above.

• Identify learning results
• Determine acceptable evidence
• Plan learning experiences and instruction

Note that the learning goals and the evidence of learning are identified before the learning experiences are designed. All this is also done before the students enter the classroom at the beginning of the unit. It is important to note that while the learning goals and assessments for the unit do not change, the learning experiences and activities may, as adjustments to pace and types of activities are made to meet the unfolding needs of students during the learning process.