Understanding by Design: A Comprehensive Guide to Planning for Learning and Teaching

Understanding by Design (UbD) is a framework for planning learning and teaching that focuses on the end goal of student understanding. It is based on the idea that students learn best when they are actively engaged in the learning process and when they are able to make connections between new knowledge and their prior knowledge. UbD provides a systematic process for planning learning experiences that are aligned with specific learning goals and that promote deep understanding.

UbD is based on three key principles:

1. Backward design: Planning should begin with the end in mind. What do you want students to know, understand, and be able to do by the end of the lesson, unit, or course? Once you have identified your learning goals, you can then work backwards to design learning experiences that will help students achieve those goals.
2. Assessment forward: Assessment should be an integral part of the planning process. What types of assessments will you use to measure student learning? How will you use the results of those assessments to inform your instruction? By thinking about assessment upfront, you can ensure that your lessons are aligned with your learning goals and that you are collecting data that will help you make informed decisions about student learning.
3. Focus on understanding: The goal of education should be to help students develop deep understanding of the content they are learning. This means that students should be able to not only recall facts and information, but also apply their knowledge to new situations and solve problems. UbD provides a framework for planning learning experiences that promote deep understanding by focusing on essential questions, key concepts, and enduring understandings.

UbD is a four-step process:

Understanding by Design

by Jay McTighe

4.5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	8817 KB
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Print length	:	370 pages
X-Ray for textbooks	:	Enabled

FREE

1. Identify desired results: The first step is to identify the learning goals for the lesson, unit, or course. These goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
2. Determine acceptable evidence: Once you have identified your learning goals, you need to determine how you will measure student learning. This may involve developing formative assessments, summative assessments, performance tasks, or other types of assessments.
3. Plan learning experiences: The next step is to plan learning experiences that will help students achieve the desired results. These learning experiences should be engaging, relevant, and aligned with the learning goals.
4. Provide feedback: The final step is to provide feedback to students on their learning. This feedback should be timely, specific, and actionable. Feedback can help students identify areas where they need to improve and make progress towards their learning goals.

UbD has a number of benefits, including:

• It helps teachers to focus on the most important learning goals. By starting with the end in mind, UbD helps teachers to identify the essential knowledge and skills that students need to learn. This helps to ensure that instruction is focused on the most important content and skills.
• It promotes deep understanding. UbD encourages teachers to focus on developing students' understanding of the content they are learning. This means that students are not just memorizing facts and information, but they are also able to apply their knowledge to new situations and solve problems.
• It makes assessment more meaningful. By thinking about assessment upfront, UbD helps teachers to develop assessments that are aligned with their learning goals. This helps to ensure that students are being assessed on what they are actually learning.
• It helps teachers to make informed decisions about instruction. The feedback that students receive from assessments can help teachers to identify areas where instruction needs to be adjusted. This helps to ensure that instruction is tailored to the needs of individual students.

UbD is a powerful framework for planning learning and teaching that can help teachers to focus on the most important learning goals, promote deep understanding, make assessment more meaningful, and make informed decisions about instruction. If you are looking for a way to improve your teaching, UbD is a great place to start.

Understanding by Design

by Jay McTighe

4.5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	8817 KB
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Print length	:	370 pages
X-Ray for textbooks	:	Enabled

FREE