"The effectiveness of their designs corresponds to whether they have accomplished explicit goals for specific end-users.” (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005)
Understanding by Design (UbD) is a three-stage “framework for curriculum planning for assessment design and ultimately for teaching” (J. McTighe, 2013). The key to using the framework is to consider the backward design by working to plan out a unit or two and then implementing the lesson. When we consider our students learning, we should remember that “just because a student knows things, doesn’t mean he understands it” (J. McTighe, 2013). According to Jay McTighe in the video, What is Understanding by Design? Author Jay McTighe explains there are two parts to the UbD framework. The first part is about “teaching and assessing for understanding, ultimately, with the goal of having kids transfer their learning. The second part relates to design which includes planning backward from the end and the end is understanding and transfer” (J. McTighe, 2013).
The three-stage process allows teachers to think and plan with the first stage primarily focused on desired results. During this stage, goals are established based on content standards (national, state, district). This is also the stage where essential questions are asked so that students will promote student learning and can help show students the meaning of the lesson. The other part of this stage is understandings which allow the students to gain clarity about the important parts of the lesson.
The next stage (stage 2) in the process is “determining acceptable evidence” (Wiggins and McTighe, 2005). It is important that we know if the students achieved the desired results and stage 2 provides the context. During this stage, we focus on performance tasks, other evidence to show understanding, and a self-reflection component to “document and validate that desired learning has been achieved” (Wiggins and McTighe, 2005).
The final stage (stage 3) is the learning experience and instruction. This is the area where we provide a summary of learning activities while mapping out the specifics of the lesson. It is important for the goals in stage 1 are aligned with the activities in stage three.
Understanding by Design and 3 Column Table
Although the two frameworks differ in content, the approach to creating them is fairly similar. When reviewing my UbD file, you will see that it reflects the information used in my 3 Column Table, and both of the frameworks are connected to my innovation plan. My experience with the 3-column table was a bit of a struggle because I do not typically set goals. I implement as I think. There is something about working off the cuff that really excites me. Nevertheless, because I do not have a plan; therefore, I make mistakes.
After creating my 3-column table, I came to understand the significance of planning a successful course. When you plan, it is easier to bounce back from your mistakes. “One of the benefits of this model is that it allows us to see the importance of an integrated course and to know when we have one and when we do not” (Fink, n.d.). The 3-column table helped me to see that although I have created ideas, they always get fully implemented.
The 3-column table starts with questions that each educator must consider when preparing a lesson/unit. Some of the questions are 1. What do I want my students to learn? 2. What applications will I use? How will I integrate these applications? What can I do to be certain my students are self-reflecting? and, What values can I be certain my students are embracing? These types of questions promote a thought process that leads to significant learning. The UbD framework should “start with a much more careful statement of the desired results—the priority learnings—and to derive the curriculum from the performances called for or implied in the goals” (Wiggins and McTighe, 2005).
Personally, I prefer the 3-column table over the UbD framework. I believe this is primarily due to the fact that the UbD framework requires a lot more work on the front end and is very tedious to complete. Since I am fairly familiar with the lessons, I plan I teach, I do not need to go into as much detail as required by the UbD framework. However, should I get placed in a content that I am not too familiar with, the UbD framework would be extremely beneficial. Overall, both frameworks have enlightened me to dig a bit deeper when creating my lessons so that I can cover all aspects of the content.
Resources
Wiggins, Grant; McTighe, Jay. Understanding by Design, Expanded 2nd Edition (p. 13). Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. Kindle Edition.
Hawker Brownlow Education (July 17, 2013) What is Understanding by Design? Author Jay McTighe explains [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/d8F1SnWaIfE
Fink, L. D., PhD. (n.d.). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. Retrieved from https://luonline.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-5118512-dt-content-rid-72524091_1/xid-72524091_1