Understanding By Design

Understanding by Design (UbD) is a way to look at and formulate curriculum to maximize student understanding and growth. It first came to the stage in 1998 when a published book, called Understanding by Design written by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, was released. It is commonly referred to as the “backward design” way to write curriculum and plan for a lesson. According to Wiggins, UbD is a way of thinking. It is not a program or a recipe that you can follow; it is a way of thinking about planning and reform where teachers become coaches, not suppliers of information. The end goal is for students to be able to take what they have learned and transfer that knowledge.
Wiggins says that “UbD works within the standards-driven curriculum to help teachers clarify learning goals, devise revealing assessment of student understanding, and craft effective and engaging learning activities.” The evidence of understanding is shown through what Wiggins and McTighe (1998) refer to in their book as the 6 facets of understanding:
1. Explain – being able to give facts and data
2. Interpret – being able to tell meaningful stories, and to make subjects personal
3. Apply – being able effectively use and adapt what they know
4. Shift perspective – being able to hear other views, and see the big picture
5. Empathize – being able to find value in what others may not; being sensitive without direct prior experience
6. Self – assess – being aware of what you understand, but also what you do not understand
In order to get to these facets of understanding, you need to design how that information will be delivered. In traditional curriculum design a teacher will develop the lesson plan, create what types of assessments will be used, and then analyze the outcomes to see what the level of understanding is amongst the students. This is where Understanding by Design is really different. As I mentioned earlier, UbD using what is called “backward design.” This way of planning is laid out in three stages and looks at the bigger picture of understanding.
Stage 1 is referred to as desired outcome. This looks at not only what you want the students to learn from the lesson, but what you want them to take with them over the long term. This is where you will identify your goals, understandings, essential questions, and what you want students to know and be able to accomplish.
Stage 2 is where you look at assessment evidence. Through what tasks or activities can students demonstrate understanding? Additionally, through what activities can students demonstrate the desired results, and also reflection? This is where you will decide upon test, homework, journals, etc.
Stage 3 is the learning plan where the lesson is developed. What learning experiences and instruction will enable students to achieve the desired results? Wiggins and McTighe (1998) show us to answer this using the design WHERETO:
W= Help the students know Where the unit is going and What is expected. Help the teacher know Where the students are coming from.
H= Hook all students, and Hold their interest.
E= Equip students, help them to Experience the key ideas and Explore the issue.
R= Provide opportunities to Rethink and Revise their understandings and work.
E= Allow students to Evaluate their work and its implications.
T= be Tailored to the different needs, interests, and abilities of learners.
O= be Organized to maximize initial and sustained engagement as well as effective learning.

Wiggins and McTighe have shown a very realistic, common-sense way to approach curriculum design. It takes the role of the educator away from being a source of information for students, and shifts the focus on coaching the students to learn for understanding. This way of learning is not to retain facts for a standardized test, rather to retain information to apply in life.