Understanding By Design

What is Backward Design?

Many teachers (I am guilty of this at times), design a unit by first looking at what they are going to teach throughout the unit and not thinking about the final outcome (What the students should learn?).  Backward Design is an approach that encourages curriculum designers (teachers) to plan a unit by first concentrating on what a student should understand and be able to apply at the end of the unit.  Basically, teachers create a unit "backwards."  After a teacher has decided what they want their students to understand and take away from a lesson, then the teacher should begin planning ways to meet the desired outcomes.


Traditionally, when designing units, teachers focus on the day by day plans ending with some sort of assessment.  Backward Design experts believe teachers should focus on their students final understandings in order to ensure that their goals are being met.  Often, teachers teach information and only require students to state simple facts to show their understanding.  However, by implementing Backward Design into your classroom, you are more focused on a child's understanding rather than their demonstration of repeating facts and ideas you have incorporated into your lesson.

Last year, my Professional Learning Team began each unit by looking at previous years tests and final projects for a unit.  Backward Design encourages teachers to examine their desired learnings for their students.  My PLT did do a little of this, however, I do believe we could have examined more in-depth how students will show their understandings of what was taught.  I do believe we were on the start of the Backward Design model and personally I enjoyed planning this way.  It held each of us accountable for what we needed to teach in order to ensure all students could complete their final task.  My goal after reading this unit on Backward Design is to create final assessments focusing more on their understanding of a particular concept rather than their demonstration of citing basic facts and knowledge.