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Instruction To School and Community

The document discusses revamping unit planning using Understanding by Design (UbD). UbD is a three stage process of identifying desired results, determining acceptable evidence, and planning learning experiences. The author explains how they will apply each stage in their planning. First, they will establish learning goals focused on what students should know, understand, and be able to do. Next, they will consider how to assess if students are meeting the goals through various performance assessments. Finally, they will design instructional strategies and learning activities to help students apply their new knowledge and meet the unit goals. The author believes using UbD will enhance student learning and create consistency in their goals.

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52 views5 pages

Instruction To School and Community

The document discusses revamping unit planning using Understanding by Design (UbD). UbD is a three stage process of identifying desired results, determining acceptable evidence, and planning learning experiences. The author explains how they will apply each stage in their planning. First, they will establish learning goals focused on what students should know, understand, and be able to do. Next, they will consider how to assess if students are meeting the goals through various performance assessments. Finally, they will design instructional strategies and learning activities to help students apply their new knowledge and meet the unit goals. The author believes using UbD will enhance student learning and create consistency in their goals.

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Capstone C/Instruction to School and Community

Instruction to School and Community


Amanda Wilson
Marygrove College

Link Venn diagram: http://www.classtools.net/widgets/venn_2circle_2/OqtkT.htm

Capstone C/Instruction to School and Community

Understanding by Design Revamping Units


Understanding by Design is not a prescriptive program. It is a way of thinking more
purposefully and carefully about the nature of any design that has understanding as the goal
(Wiggins and McTighe, 2006, p. 7). UbD is a wonderful technique that serves the purpose for the
thoughtful design of curriculum. Teachers are able to work backward to create rich learning
experiences for their students. UbD is a three-stage process which entails: identifying desired
results, determining acceptable evidence, and planning learning experiences and instruction
(Wiggins and McTighe, 2006, p. 17, 18). With these three stages, teachers are able to set the
stage for their unit planning and have the ability to create lessons that help students better
understand the material and later transfer to their everyday living and other academic areas.
Within my 7 years of teaching, I have never planned my units by the aim of what my students
will be able to understand and transfer in the end, my planning tactics have focused on what I
need to cover and what my students need to know. In turn, UbD has opened my eyes and my
future unit planning will now be created by the 3 stage process so my students will better
understand all material taught.
While preparing my units, I will first establish my learning goals for the course. I will
focus it on what my students should know, understand, and be able to do. The content will be
wide-ranging so I will have to figure out what to teach to fit within the limited framework of the
course. I will only teach what is valuable to the students and focus on the method of
understanding. I will primary focus on worth being familiar with, important to know and do,
and enduring understanding (Wiggins and McTighe, 2006, p. 19) with the first phase of UbD
planning known as identifying desired results. I feel answering each of these questions will

Capstone C/Instruction to School and Community

help determine the best content for my courses and create concrete, specific learning goals for
my students.
Next, the second phase (determine acceptable evidence) within backward design is
thinking how I will decide if students are starting to master the knowledge and the skills I want
them to gain and or master. I will have to think of how I will collect and or accept evidence
where students are making progress toward the learning goals of the unit. Also, I will have to
think of the big picture are they getting it? When planning the unit, I will plan a wide range of
performance based assessment and or standard assessment methods in order to ensure that I test
exactly the learning I want them to gain. Assessment could entail: standard tests, essays,
homework assignments, quizzes, open-ended, complex, and authentic. This approach encourages
teachers and curriculum planners to first think like an assessor before designing specific units
and lessons, and this to consider up front how they will determine if students have attained the
desired understandings (Wiggins and McTighe, 2006, p. 18).
Lastly, the third phase with UbD is known as plan learning experiences and instruction
this will vastly focus on how I am going to teach. With this phase, I can now move to designing
my instructional strategies and students learning activities. I can think of what are going to be
the best exercises, problems or questions for developing my students ability to meet my
learning/unit goals. I will think of tactics of how my students can practice using new knowledge
to gain the skills I want them to learn. Also, how can they apply their learning? I will be
designing active and collaborative exercises that encourage students to tackle with new concepts
in order to own them. I will focus on the importance of increasing understanding, not rote
memorization.

Capstone C/Instruction to School and Community

All in all, teaching is a means to an end and having a clear goal helps us as educators to
focus our planning and guide purposeful action toward the intended results. It is my
commitment and contribution (Zander & Zander, 2000, p. 59) to promote student learning and
achievement in every child. In order to promote student learning I will accomplish this goal by
managing and monitoring student learning, endorsing active learning, encompassing
differentiated instruction, and check for understanding and transfer. In summary backward
design yields greater coherence among desired results, key performance, and teaching and
learning experiences, resulting in better student performance-the purpose of design (Wiggins
and McTighe, 2006, p. 33). I will be making changes within my planning of units of instruction
by using the UbD method. I know this will only help further enhance my students learning and
also create a sense of consistency within my learning goals throughout the school year!

Capstone C/Instruction to School and Community

References
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2006). Understanding by design (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.
Zander, B., & Zander, R. (2002). The art of possibility. New York: Penguin.

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