Understanding By Design
UBD Slides
Key Questions...
 Why are the best curriculum
designs “backward”?
 How might we “work smarter”
in curriculum design?
 How shall we “walk the talk”
and apply design standards to
our own work ?
©2005 Jay McTighe
©2005 Jay McTighe
Understanding by Design
3 Stages of Backward Design
is not…
1. Identify desired results.
• a prescriptive program
2. Determine acceptable evidence.
• an instructional model
• opposed to traditional
testing & grading
3. Plan learning experiences
& instruction.
©2005 Jay McTighe
©2005 Jay McTighe
UBD 1-page template...
Key to Backward Design
Standard(s):
Understandings
➥ Think like an assessor!
Essential Questions
enables designers to
check alignment:
s
t
a
g
e
1
Design assessments before you
design lessons and activities.
Be clear about what evidence of
learning you seek.
 content standards
Assessment Evidence
s
t
a
g
e
Performance Task(s):
Other Evidence:
2
LearningActivities
 ‘big ideas’
 essential questions
 assessments
 learning activities
s
t
a
g
e
3
©2005 Jay McTighe
© 2001 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
©2005 Jay McTighe
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Understanding By Design
UBD Slides
To what extent does
“backward design” and
the Design Template...
3 Stages of Backward Design
1. Identify desired results.
1) reflect the way in which teachers
in your school/district currently plan?
2) require changes in curriculum
planning practices?
2. Determine acceptable evidence.
3. Plan learning experiences
& instruction.
©2005 Jay McTighe
Stage 1 – Identify desired results.
Consists of 4 components:
CS
content standards
u understandings
q essential questions
k knowledge and skills
©2005 Jay McTighe
“Unpack” Content Standards
Consider: What “big ideas” are
embedded within the standards?
content
standards
©2005 Jay McTighe
Structure of Knowledge
©2005 Jay McTighe
Factual Knowledge
includes...
✦ vocabulary/ terminology
✦ definitions
✦ key factual information
✦ critical details
✦ important events and people
✦ sequence/timeline
principles
and
generalizations
key concepts
and
core processes
facts and skills
©2005 Jay McTighe
© 2001 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
©2005 Jay McTighe
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Understanding By Design
UBD Slides
Concepts transferable ‘big ideas’
Skills
include...
basic skills - e.g., decoding, drawing
✔ communication skills - e.g., listening,
speaking, writing
✔ research/inquiry/ investigation skills
✔ thinking skills - e.g., comparing, problem
solving, decision making
✔ study skills - e.g., note taking
✔ interpersonal, group skills
examples...
✔
adaptation
change
✔ energy
✔ exploration
✔ freedom
✔ interaction
justice
migration
✔ patterns
✔ power
✔ symbol
✔ systems
✔
✔
✔
✔
©2005 Jay McTighe
©2005 Jay McTighe
Epistemological
Understandings
Principles and
Generalizations
examples...
examples...
➥ Democratic governments must balance
➥ Conclusions from scientific investigations
must be verified through replication. Scientific
inquiry deliberately isolates and controls key
variables.
rights of individuals with the common good.
➥ Correlation does not insure causality.
➥ Creating space away
from the ball
u
increases scoring opportunities (e.g., in
soccer, football, basketball).
➥ History involves interpretation and historians
can disagree. One’s interpretation of the past
may be influenced by one’s experiences, culture,
philosophy, and political beliefs.
©2005 Jay McTighe
Fact:
The Magna Carta was
enacted on June 15, 1215.
Students will understand that:
● Democratic governments must
balance the rights of individuals with
the common good.
● A written Constitution sets forth
the terms and limits of government’s
power.
©2005 Jay McTighe
© 2001 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
©2005 Jay McTighe
research on
Learning and Cognition
“We turn now to the questions of how
experts’ knowledge is organized…Their
knowledge is not simply a list of facts and
formulas that are relevant to the domain;
instead, their knowledge is organized
around core concepts or ‘big ideas’ that
guide their thinking about the domain.”
- Bransford, et. Al., How People Learn, p 24
©2005 Jay McTighe
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Understanding By Design
UBD Slides
research on
Learning and Cognition
Establishing Curricular Priorities
worth being
familiar with
“Learning with understanding is
more likely to promote transfer
than simply memorizing information from a text or a lecture.”
- Bransford, et. Al., How People Learn, p 224
important to
know & do
”nice to know”
foundational
concepts & skills
‘big ideas’
worth
understanding
enduring
understandings
©2005 Jay McTighe
New York MST #3 - select appropriate standard
and nonstandard measurement units and tools
to measure to a desired degree of accuracy
measurement
©2005 Jay McTighe
ARTS - recognize how technical, organizational
and aesthetic elements contribute to the ideas,
emotions and overall impact communicated by
works of art (Oregon - CIM)
artistic expression
Students will understand that:
● We can describe and measure
the same thing in different ways.
● There are margins of error inherent
in every form of measurement.
● Correlation does not insure
causality.
Students will understand that:
● Available tools and technologies influence
the ways in which artists express their ideas.
● Great artists often break with established
traditions, conventions, and techniques to
express what they see and feel.
©2005 Jay McTighe
Kentucky Science Academic Expectation 2.1:
Students understand scientific ways of thinking and
working and use those methods to solve real-life
problems.
scientific process
Students will understand that:
● Scientific knowledge develops and
is confirmed through carefully
controlled investigations.
● The scientific method deliberately
isolates and controls key variables.
©2005 Jay McTighe
© 2001 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
©2005 Jay McTighe
English 2A.4a - Analyze and evaluate the effective
use of literary techniques in literature representing
a variety of forms and media. (Illinois)
satire
Students will understand that:
● Authors do not always say exactly
what they mean (literally).
● Satire attempts to expose & ridicule
public or political immorality and
stupidity through irony, sarcasm or
exaggeration.
©2005 Jay McTighe
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Understanding By Design
UBD Slides
Topic or theme:
Matters of Understanding
friendship
Students will understand that:
● True friendship is often revealed
during challenging times rather than
during happy times.
 big ideas or core processes at
the“heart” of the discipline
“enduring” - lasting value beyond
the classroom
 transferable to other topics and
inquiries
©2005 Jay McTighe
Framing Understandings
 State the desired understandings as a
full-sentence, specific generalization
(the “moral of the story”).
 Don’t just specify the topic to be
taught, but the understandings to be
acquired.
©2005 Jay McTighe
2 types of understandings
Overarching - Great artists often break
with established traditions, conventions and
techniques to better express what the see and
feel.
Topical -
Impressionist artists used novel
painting techniques to represent everyday life.
They used color, light, and shadow to convey
the impression of reflected light at a particular
moment.
©2005 Jay McTighe
©2005 Jay McTighe
Frame understandings
in terms of questions.
“How does one lead children to discover
the powers and pleasures [of rethinking]?
Through organizing questions. They
serve two functions: they put perspective
back in the particulars... and they often
served as criteria for determining where
students were getting, how well they
were understanding, whether anything
new was emerging.”
Jerome Bruner
©2005 Jay McTighe
© 2001 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
©2005 Jay McTighe
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Understanding By Design
UBD Slides
Essential Questions
Sample Essential Questions:
from the “leading edge”
●
●
●
●
www.edge.org
How does art reflect, as well as shape,
culture?
How are ‘form’ and ‘function’ related
in biology?
In what way do effective writers hook
and hold their readers?
Who were the ‘winners’ and who were
the Industrial Revolution
the ‘losers’ in ___________________________?
©2005 Jay McTighe
+
Concept Attainment
©2005 Jay McTighe
–
1. Compare examples (+) and
non-examples (–) of a concept.
2. Identify the distinguishing
characteristics of each.
3. Test your theory against new
cases.
4. Refine your concept definition.
What is the relationship
between popularity and
greatness in literature?
YES NO
When is an equation
linear? It depen
ds on
To what extent are
science and common
sense related?
✔
✔
©2005 Jay McTighe
© 2001 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
✔
©2005 Jay McTighe
open-ended: no
“single” answer;
arguable; require
reasoning
✔ ✔
t!
✔
What is estivation?
Essential
inten
✔
When was the Magna
Carta signed and by
whom?
©2005 Jay McTighe
Which President of the
U.S. has the most
disappointing legacy?
YES NO
generative: spark
inquiry and raise
other questions
doorway: lead
to ‘big ideas’ and
core processes
Questions...
recur: can
(and should)
be revisited
©2005 Jay McTighe
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Understanding By Design
UBD Slides
Mathematics Content Standard
English/Lang. Arts Content Standard
predictive statistics
world literature
‘Big Idea’ Understanding:
● Statistical analysis and display often
reveals patterns in data, enabling us to
make predictions with degrees of
confidence.
‘Big Idea’ Understanding:
● Great literature from various cultures
explores enduring themes and reveals
recurrent aspects of the human condition.
Essential Question:
Essential Question:
● Can
● How
you predict the future? What
will happen next? How sure are you?
can stories from other places
and times be about me?
©2005 Jay McTighe
“Core Commonality”
Questions Boyer’s Basic School
©2005 Jay McTighe
types of essential questions
‘Big Idea’ Understanding:
● Everyone
holds membership in a
variety of groups.
Essential Questions:
● Which
groups did I join at birth? Why
do people join groups? What groups do I
belong to? Can I leave a group?
Understanding - Living organisms
adapt to survive harsh or changing
environments.
Overarching - “In nature, do only the
“strong” survive? What is survival
strength?
Topical - “How do insects survive so
well?”
©2005 Jay McTighe
types of essential questions
Understanding - True friendship is
revealed during difficult times.
Overarching - “Who are your true
friends?
Topical - “Are Frog and Toad really
true friends?
©2005 Jay McTighe
© 2001 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
©2005 Jay McTighe
Tips for Using
Essential Questions:
 use E.Q.s to organize programs,
courses, and units of study
 “less is more”
 edit to make them “kid friendly”
 post the questions
©2005 Jay McTighe
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Understanding By Design
UBD Slides
3 Stages of Backward Design
Knowledge & Skills
Given the targeted content standards and understandings,
what will students need to know and be able to do?
Knowledge:
• __________________
• __________________
• __________________
• __________________
• __________________
• __________________
• __________________
Skills:
• __________________
• __________________
• __________________
• __________________
• __________________
• __________________
• __________________
1. Identify desired results.
2. Determine acceptable evidence.
3. Plan learning experiences
& instruction.
©2005 Jay McTighe
©2005 Jay McTighe
Think “Photo Album”
versus “Snapshot”
Assessment...
“any systematic basis for making
inferences about characteristics of
people, usually based on various
sources of evidence;
“the global process of synthesizing
information about individuals in order
to understand and describe them
better”
Brown, 1983
Sound assessment requires multiple
sources of evidence, collected over time.
©2005 Jay McTighe
©2005 Jay McTighe
Gather evidence from
a Range of Assessments
Recognizing the limits
of testing...
“Evaluation is a complex, multifaceted process. Different tests
provide different information, and
no single test can give a complete
picture of a student’s academic
development.”
from CTB/McGraw-Hill Terra Nova Test Manual
©2005 Jay McTighe
© 2001 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
 authentic tasks and projects
 academic exam questions,
prompts, and problems
 quizzes and test items
 informal checks for understanding
 student self-assessments
©2005 Jay McTighe
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Understanding By Design
UBD Slides
Assessing Student
Understanding
Focus on evidence.
☛ Consider a judicial analogy:
Students should be presumed
innocent of understanding until
proven guilty by a preponderance
of evidence.
©2005 Jay McTighe
Evidence of Understanding...
requires the student to:
©2005 Jay McTighe
Facet #1: Explanation
 to understand is to know not only
what but why and how
Apply to
Explain
novel situation
support, justify
‘authentic’ context
theorize & defend
 ability to construct and induce
theories, and provide explanations
©2005 Jay McTighe
©2005 Jay McTighe
example:
Focus on Justification
Teach a Lesson
 The student must not just do,
they must explain and support
(the dissertation and its defense).
 understanding revealed through
increasingly sophisticated
accounts ( novice-expert rubrics)
©2005 Jay McTighe
© 2001 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
You have been asked to help a third
grader understand the economic
concept of “supply and demand”.
Design a plan for a 10 minute lesson.
You may wish to use examples (e.g.,
Beanie Babies or Pokemon cards),
visuals, or manipulatives to help
them understand.
©2005 Jay McTighe
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Understanding By Design
UBD Slides
example:
example:
You Are What You Eat
Tell a Story
Imagine that you are an elderly
tribal member who has witnessed
the settlement of the plains by the
“pioneers”. Tell a story to your
granddaughters to explain the
impact of the settlers on your life.
Since our class has been studying
nutrition, the first grade teachers have
asked us to help their students learn
about healthful eating. Your job is to
create a picture book to use in explaining
what a ‘balanced diet’ is. Include
pictures to show health problems that
result from poor eating habits.
©2005 Jay McTighe
example:
©2005 Jay McTighe
example:
What’s Wrong with Holden?
You are a member of Holden Caufield’s
case-review committee at the hospital from
which Holden is telling his story. Your task
is to write:
1) a diagnostic report for the hospital, and
2) a letter to Holden’s parents explaining
what’s wrong with him.
Base your analysis on Holden’s own words.
What’s the Trend?
Interpret the data on ______ for the past
______ (time period). Prepare a report (oral,
written) for ______ (audience) to help them
understand:
•what the data shows
•what patterns or trends are evident
•what might happen in the future
©2005 Jay McTighe
Facet #3: Application
©2005 Jay McTighe
Authenticity Matters...
 the ability to use knowledge
Therefore:
 Understanding is revealed through
contextualized performance.
 adjust and adapt what one knows
to particular audiences, purposes,
situations
 Students apply knowledge in
meaningful, “real-world” contexts
to show that they really understand.
effectively in varied contexts “authentic” application
©2005 Jay McTighe
© 2001 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
©2005 Jay McTighe
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Understanding By Design
UBD Slides
inauthentic vs. authentic
(examples)
inauthentic
 fill
in the blank
 select an answer
from a set of
given choices
 answer the ?s at
end of chapter
 solve contrived
problems
authentic
 purposeful
writing
 scientific investigation
 issues debate
 primary research
 interpret literature
 solve “real-world”
problems
example:
Day Care Center
You have been hired by a day care agency
to fence in an area to be used for a play area.
You have been provided with 60 feet of
fencing (in 4’ sections) and a 4’ gate. How can
you put up the fence so the children will have
the maximum amount of space in which to
play?
Submit your plan for the playground area.
Include a diagram, your calculations, and a
summary of why this is the best design.
©2005 Jay McTighe
example:
©2005 Jay McTighe
example:
State Tour
Personal Trainer
The State Department of Tourism has
asked your help in planning a four-day tour
of (your state) for a group of foreign visitors.
Plan the tour to help the visitors understand
the state’s history, geography and its key
economic assets.
You should prepare a written itinerary,
including an explanation of why each site
was included on the tour.
As a fitness trainer, your task is to
design a personalized plan to help a client
meet their fitness goal. (Client goals and
characteristics are provided.)
Your fitness plan should include
aerobic, anaerobic and flexibility exercises
along with a proposed nutrition regimen.
©2005 Jay McTighe
example:
©2005 Jay McTighe
Indicators of
Understanding - part 1
Making the Grade
Your math teacher will allow you to
select the method by which measure of
central tendency – mean, median or mode –
your quarterly grade will be calculated.
Review your grades for quizzes, tests,
and homework to decide which measure of
central tendency will be best for your
situation. Write a note to your teacher
explaining why you selected that method.
©2005 Jay McTighe
© 2001 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
You really understand when you can:
 explain it
 teach it to others
 make connections
 make meaning from...
 show its meaning or importance
 apply it to new situations
©2005 Jay McTighe
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Understanding By Design
UBD Slides
example:
Designing Task Scenarios
School Map
A new student has just joined
your class. Since he is new to the
school, you have been asked to
draw a map of the school to help
the new student find his way
around the school. Be sure that
your map includes a title, labels,
symbols, and a legend.
G  What is the goal in the scenario?
R  What is your role?
A  Who is the audience?
S  What is your situation (context)?
 What products/performances will
P
you prepare?
S  By what standards (criteria) will
your work be judged?
©2005 Jay McTighe
©2005 Jay McTighe
Check for Alignment
Implications for Rubrics
Content Standards
Understandings
valid assessment
demands alignment
among:
☛ Include 2 traits to distinguish between:
Performance Task
 content standards
Performance Task(s):
 performance task
Content
Understanding
Product/
Performance
Quality
Evaluative Criteria
 evaluative criteria
©2005 Jay McTighe
3 Stages of Backward Design
©2005 Jay McTighe
Stage 3 – Plan Learning
Experiences & Instruction.
1. Identify desired results.
 What learning experiences and
2. Determine acceptable evidence.
3. Plan learning experiences
& instruction.
©2005 Jay McTighe
© 2001 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
instruction will promote understanding?
 What prerequisite knowledge and skill
must be learned if understanding is to
occur (and performance is to succeed)?
©2005 Jay McTighe
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Understanding By Design
UBD Slides
Organize by W. H. E. R. E.
Organize by W. H. E. R. E.T.O.
W = Where are we headed? and why?
(from the student’s perspective)
H = How will the student be ‘hooked’?
E = What opportunities will there be to be
equipped and explore key ideas?
R = How will we provide opportunities to
rethink, rehearse, refine and revise?
E = How will students evaluate (so as to
improve) their own performance?
©2005 Jay McTighe
W = Where are we headed? why?
H = How might we “hook” the students?
E = How will we help students explore the
“big” ideas and equip them for performance?
R = How will we provide opportunities to
rethink, rehearse, refine and revise?
E = How will help students evaluate their own
performance and reflect on their learning?
T = How will we tailor/personalize instruction?
O = How will we organize and sequence©2005
work?
Jay McTighe
Sound familiar...?
Work Smarter...
✔ design 1-2 units in teams
✔ experience the design process
(develop a mental template)
✔ share many “gourmet” units
via a searchable data base
©2005 Jay McTighe
Lack of resources
©2005 Jay McTighe
Synthesis Session
individually…
Review your notes and handouts
and identify 2-3 interesting or useful
ideas that you gained from this
session.
with your group...
Briefly share one of your ideas and
listen to others.
©2005 Jay McTighe
© 2001 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
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