Understanding by Design (UbD) and Backward Design

Understanding by Design (UbD) is an educational paradigm which suggests designing curriculum in reverse can lead to the development of deeper student understanding. It was developed by educators Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe and is a growing phenomenon within the field of education. The primary goal of UbD is student understanding of big ideas and applying them in practice across many disciplines and contexts. This is accomplished through “Backward Design”, a three stage process in which curriculum is designed in reverse. Teachers begin planning with the ultimate goal in mind, then deciding upon evidence necessary for proving student understanding of the ultimate goal, and finally planning the activities to drive students toward their ultimate goal (McTighe, 2010). UbD has its fair share of positive attributes as well as what some may consider negative ones concerning the paradigm. A more detailed look at UbD and its concept of Backward Design follows.

UbD begins with its stated primary goal which is the development and deepening of student understanding in terms of big, enduring ideas within the academic disciplines. In order to accomplish this, students need to demonstrate six facets of understanding: the capacity to explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, empathize, and self-assess (McTighe, 2010). Student learning should focus on much more than memory for procedures and facts. The six facets of understanding are found at the hierarchical top of the Bloom’s Taxonomy pyramid. This is the desired target destination most educators feel students should perform at. The method for achieving this level of understanding is by designing a curriculum where goals, assessments, and lessons are interconnected (Wysocki, 2009). UbD’s authors feel “Backward Design” is the best method for developing such a curriculum.

“Backward Design” is a three stage process for developing curriculum. Stage One begins with determining what you want your students to know at the completion of the unit. Educators should keep in mind academic goals and standards, enduring ideas and essential questions to explore, and potential long-term application of these ideas and skills. The big ideas and essential questions should spark inquiry and discussion, require justification of opinions, and create meaningful connections with prior learning.

Once the big ideas and core skills have been identified, educators must determine what type of assessments and evidence will be necessary to achieve the desired results. In Stage Two educators will think about the aforementioned six facets of understanding and how they can be utilized as an assessment avenue for students to demonstrate their understanding. Each facet of understanding does not need to be represented in a single assessment method; however they should be represented across a continuum of assessment types. Assessments must be reliable, valid, practical and student friendly.

Stage Three is the final stage in designing the curriculum. After identifying the big ideas and core skills at the heart of the unit and determining the assessment evidence necessary to prove understanding, an educator now begins to develop a learning plan consisting of lessons, activities, and teaching methods to maximize student understanding of the unit’s big ideas and core skills. This is accomplished by carefully selecting activities which move students closer toward reaching the ultimate goals. Anything in conflict with the curriculum's big ideas and core skills should not be included(McTighe, 2010).

Backward Design in all three stages provides the opportunity to develop curriculum which drives students toward a deeper level of understanding because core skills and big ideas are well-defined and specifically targeted by the educator. Also vital to UbD is its continuous improvement model. Student work and achievement data needs to be reviewed regularly so targeted adjustments to the curriculum maybe performed if necessary. Feedback from students and peers is encouraged concerning the curriculum and promotes sharing of ideas and working collaboratively. Developing a curriculum through Backward Design is an ongoing process. Feedback and collaboration are forms of quality control which are necessary to avoid mistakes and disappointing results. UbD and Backward design can be applied to as much as a school's entire curriculum (McTighe, 2010).

Wiggins and McTighe contend that UbD is more effective than teaching approaches to delivering curriculum which are present in a majority of classrooms across the nation. “Textbook teaching” and “activity-oriented” teaching is diminished as a result of implementing UbD and its principles in developing curriculum. Engaging students in purposeful, reflective thinking and developing student self-awareness through such exercises are key elements central to UbD and are also lacking in classrooms today. UbD insures curriculum plans are aligned and focused on specific learning goals and objectives. The curriculum's ultimate goals are what drive learning and not daily lessons (McTighe, 2010).

Criticisms might include UbD narrowly defining its content and leaving no avenue for pursuing “teachable moments” outside of the meticulously designed curriculum. Designing curriculum itself in this manner is very difficult. With reflective thinking and self-awareness at its heart, UbD is very subjective in nature. Difficulty can arise when assessing students on their thoughts and feelings toward a topic. UbD also requires extensive professional development before its implementation which costs in terms of time and money. The amount of time and energy which is necessary for designing curriculum in such a manner as well as keeping it running effectively is daunting. Finally, critics argue taking time to train students to think critically and reflectively will drain away time from the central theme of the intended lessons (“6 Facets”, 2009).

I feel some of these criticisms are short-sighted. Devoting classroom instructional time to engage students with the practice of reflective thinking is beneficial to the students’ overall development. I doubt many teachers of any quality are going to ignore “teachable moments” in order not to deviate from the curriculum. Costs, time, and the amount of work necessary to successfully implement a curriculum designed with UbD’s principles are valid criticisms. The amount of time and energy one must devote to write a curriculum using Backward Design is substantial. Teachers will require professional development so they have an understanding of the process. Teachers will then have to deliver a curriculum focusing on reflective practices to students with little or no skills for it. These are very significant considerations and quite an investment on many levels; however if done correctly, the dividends should be more than worth the investment.

I believe that curriculum needs to be written to deliver learning experiences which will prepare students with deeper understanding of the world around them. UbD and Backward Design make this possible. Learning experiences developed which keep in mind UbD’s six facets of understanding are the types of skills students need to become future effective leaders in our society. I am very interested in using the concept of Backward Design along with UbD’s principles for student learning to develop my curriculum for the upcoming school year. I’ll be curious to revisit this writing at a future date to determine the validity of UbD’s perceived pros and cons. I feel confident the investment in time and energy will pay off for my students in terms of academic and personal growth as well as making me a more efficient and well-rounded educator.

Source material: McTighe, J. (2010, September). An introduction to understanding by design. Understanding by Design. Workshop conducted from Columbia, MD.

Wysocki, J. (2009, August 27). Ubd in a nutshell. Retrieved from http://prezi.com/k2j-lcgmgtzc/ubd-in-a-nutshell/

6 facets of understanding. (2009). Retrieved July 23, 2011, from http://edap688sum2009.wikispaces.com/++6+Facets+of+Understanding