Why “Understanding by Design” is Essential for Effective Curriculum Planning
As educators, it is our responsibility to create a curriculum that not only covers the required content but also engages our students and helps them develop critical thinking skills. However, designing an effective curriculum is easier said than done. With so many factors to consider, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. That’s where “Understanding by Design” comes in.
Understanding by Design, or UbD, is a teaching framework created by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. It’s based on the idea that effective teaching begins with a clear understanding of what we want our students to learn and why we want them to learn it. UbD helps us prioritize essential knowledge and skills, design assessments that measure understanding, and develop learning experiences that help students achieve their goals.
What is UbD and How Does it Work?
UbD is a backwards design process. It starts with the end goal in mind and works backward to create a curriculum that will help students achieve that goal. The process has three stages: identifying desired results, determining acceptable evidence, and planning learning experiences and instruction.
The first stage, identifying desired results, requires educators to define what students should know and be able to do after completing a unit or course. This stage involves looking at standards, considering what skills and knowledge are essential for success, and developing learning goals that align with those standards and expectations.
The second stage, determining acceptable evidence, helps educators measure student understanding and progress toward the learning goals. This includes designing assessments that measure knowledge and skills, as well as identifying performance tasks that demonstrate understanding.
The third stage, planning learning experiences and instruction, involves developing lessons and activities that will help students achieve the learning goals. This includes selecting appropriate resources, designing engaging activities, and creating opportunities for students to practice and apply what they’ve learned.
The Benefits of UbD for Curriculum Planning
So why is Understanding by Design such an essential framework for effective curriculum planning? Here are just a few of the benefits that come with using UbD:
1. Clarity: By starting with the end goal in mind, UbD helps educators create a clear and concise curriculum that is focused on essential knowledge and skills.
2. Coherence: UbD helps to ensure that each unit or course is connected to the overall goals and expectations of the curriculum, creating a coherent and consistent learning experience for students.
3. Engagement: With UbD, educators can design learning experiences that are engaging and relevant to students, helping them make connections between what they’re learning and real-world applications.
4. Assessment: UbD helps educators design assessments that measure the knowledge and skills that are most important, allowing for more accurate and meaningful feedback to students.
Real-World Examples of UbD in Action
While Understanding by Design may sound like a theoretical framework, it has been successfully implemented in classrooms and schools across the country. Here are a few examples of how UbD has been used in real-world educational settings:
1. In a high school history class, the teacher used UbD to design a unit on the civil rights movement. The learning goals focused not only on students’ knowledge of the time period but also on their ability to analyze primary sources and draw conclusions about the broader impact of the movement. Performance tasks included creating a documentary film and writing a persuasive essay arguing for the importance of the movement.
2. A middle school science teacher used UbD to guide her unit on ecology. Students were asked to create an ecosystem simulation, with the goal of demonstrating their understanding of complex ecological relationships. The assessment included both a written reflection on the simulation as well as a presentation to the class.
3. In a high school English class, the teacher used UbD to design a unit on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The learning goals focused not only on students’ understanding of the text but also on their ability to analyze character motivations, draw connections to real-world themes, and communicate their ideas effectively. Performance tasks included a live performance of a key scene and a group project analyzing the play’s historical context.
In Conclusion
Understanding by Design is a powerful framework for effective curriculum planning. By starting with the end goal in mind and working backward to create learning experiences that help students achieve that goal, educators can create more engaging, meaningful, and effective curriculum. Whether you’re a classroom teacher, a curriculum designer, or an administrator, UbD can help you create a learning experience that benefits all students.
