Understanding by Design

Understanding by Design

1. What is it?

   • Framework for curriculum planning

2. Key ideas

   • Backward planning
   • Help teachers think
     • short term goals
     • long term goals

3. Purpose

   • Teach and assess for understanding and transfer

4. Key tenets

   • Way of thinking about curricular planning
   • To develop a deeping understanding and transfer learning
   • Transforms content standards into stage 1 (elements) and stage 2 (assessment)
   • Understanding is revealed when studentstransfer their learning
   • Backward design through the three-stage process
   • Teachers are not purveyors of content
   • Regular reviews enhance quality and effectivness
   • UbD reflects a continuous-improvement

5. Twin sins of typical unit planning

   • Activity-oriented teaching
     • engaging and kid-friendly activities
   • Content coverage
     • cover content through a textbook or literature

6. Design standards purposes

   • self-assessment and peer review to identify strengths and needed improvements
   • provide a mechanisim for quality control

Images and files in the map