Wiggins Understanding by Design

Understanding by Design

Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe co-authored the book "Understanding by Design," which is a handbook that compiles common sense, the best practice in design, and what we know about learning. Four key questions guide the book's rationale:

-How do you know when they "got it"? When don't they get it even though it might seem as if they do? What is evidence of understanding?
-How can we promote understanding more by design than by good fortune (and native ability)?
-How do we move beyond designing mere interesting activities or workbook "coverage"?
-What is the relation between local design work and 'audits' of achievement against content standards?

The framework of the book is most famously known for its two major parts: the "Backward Design"" instructional design model; and the "Six Facets of Understanding." The "Backward Design" model centers around the idea that one should begin by identifying the desired achievable outcome/ assessment/ results and then work backwards to create and develop the instruction from there. Many times when curriculum or instruction is designed, educators figure out which topics need to be covered and then worry about the assessment last. "Backward Design" has an emphasis on designing with clarity about the desired learnings, with a sharper focus on learning priorities, the main focus is on "big ideas" and "core tasks" to frame the curriculum. It also focuses on anticipated student learning rough spots.

There are three stages of the "Backward Design" model:
Stage 1: Identify desired results
Define not only course goals and objectives, but also learning that should endure over the long term (or the "enduring understanding"). These are defined by question format rather than measurable objectives.
Stage 2: Determine acceptable evidence
Define what forms of assessment will demonstrate that the student acquired the knowledge, understanding, and skill to answer the questions from stage 1. The three types of assessment Wiggins and McTighe identified were performance task, criteria-referenced, and unprompted/ self-assessment.
Stage 3: Plan learning experiences and instruction
Determines what sequence of teaching and learning experiences will equip students to develop and demonstrate the desired understanding.

The Six Facets of Understanding:
*EXPLAIN: provide thorough and justifiable accounts of phenomena, facts, and data
*INTERPRET: tell meaningful stories, offer apt translations, provide a revealing historical/ personal dimension to ideas and events; make subjects personal or accessible through images, anecdotes, analogies, and models
*APPLY: effectively use and adapt what they know in diverse contexts
*HAVE PERSPECTIVE: see and hear points of view through critical eyes and ears; see the big picture
*EMPATHIZE: find value in what others might find odd, alien, or improbable; perceive sensitivity on the basis of prior indirect experience
*HAVE SELF-KNOWLEDGE: perceive the personal style, prejudices, projections, and habits of mind that both shape and impede our own understanding; they are aware of what they do not understand and why understanding is so hard.

When we write curriculum, we have to make sure that we cover the NJCCCS and ask ourselves what the students at each particular grade level need to learn, as well as what evidence will be used to determine that they have learned the material. This should be the first step of curriculum writers, not simply covering all of the material in a content area kit or planning all of the fun activities that could accompany a unit. The units (and lessons within them) that we create should be a direct result of desired outcomes wished to be obtained from students, not the other way around. Many times, teachers stick with what is comfortable, with the lessons they have been doing for years. What needs to be done, however, is focus on learning and not teaching; to really consider the learner and what he or she will need as versus what materials the teacher will need for the lesson. It's a tough cycle to break out of.
As Wiggins explains simply to students (see link, below), the Understanding by Design model answers the question of "Why are we doing this?" It attempts to make lessons fresh and helps to deliver effective lessons with enduring understanding of concepts learned.

Resources:
Backward Design Template: http://digitalliteracy.mwg.org/curriculum/template.html
Wiggins Response (Video): http://www.pearsonubd.com/whatisubd.html
http://www.grantwiggins.org/documents/mtuniontalk.pdf