Understanding By Design, or UBD, is a framework and accompanying design process for thinking decisively about unit lesson planning. The concept was developed by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins, and as part of their principles they state that UBD “…is not a philosophy of education”. It is not designed to tell teachers what or how to teach; it is a system to help them teach more effectively. In fact, its flexibility is one reason it has gained so much acclaim. With UBD, the ultimate goal is to think backward, focusing on the big picture: at the end of a unit what is the essential question your students should be able to answer?
The UBD design process is organized into three stages:
As an educator, you can begin stage one by asking a few key questions. I like to simplify this and think of it as what you want your students to UNDERSTAND. What relevant goals (such as Common Core State Standards, objectives, and learning outcomes) will this address?
Your essential questions are the base of your UBD unit, so it is important that you know what essential questions are. To keep it simple, the questions are open-ended, thought-provoking, and engaging. These are often characterized by a call for higher-order thinking which points towards transferable ideas. They are not simple questions; they need support and justification, and often require that the student ask other questions before getting an answer. Most importantly, an essential question recurs over time. Without a strong essential question, you cannot move forward in your design and implementation. To assist you, see the examples below.
| Stage 1 - Identify Desired Results/Outcome | |
| Goals:
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| Understandings:
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Essential Questions:
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| Students will know ...
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| Students will be able to...
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| Stage 1 - Identify Desired Results/Outcome | |
| Goals:
Students’ goal is to: read, write, and determine what makes a well-developed essay; with an introduction, a conclusion, and body paragraphs that use transitioning words, and proper spelling and grammar. |
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Understandings:
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Essential Questions:
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Students will Know ...
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Students will be able to...
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For the second stage, you need to think of how you see Stage One taking place. Simplified again: what your students will DO to understand the concept, and how they will do it. Examples could be performance tasks, where students demonstrate their understanding, or evidence like tests and quizzes, homework, prompts, and reflections.
| Stage 2 - Assessment Evidence | |
| Performance Tasks:
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Other Evidence:
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| Stage 2 - Assessment Evidence | |
Performance Tasks:
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Other Evidence:
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For the third stage, think about what specific lesson plans and assessments will you need to measure the progress of the process? How will your lessons get students to understand the desired results from stage 1? What learning experiences and instruction will enable students to achieve the goals you set in the previous stages?
WHERETO is an acronym to help execute Stage 3 and is explained below. (Another acronym to help with the process of writing Stage 3 is GRASPS) When considering your unit you must recognize what is expected of your students throughout the process. This table includes how will they be evaluated, judged, and graded:
| W | WHERE is the unit going and WHAT is expected? |
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| H | HOOK all students, and HOLD their interest? |
| E | EQUIP students, help them 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 | TAILOR the unit to the different needs, interests, and abilities of learners. |
| O | ORGANIZE to maximize engagement, as well as effective learning. |
| Stage 3 - Learning Plan | |
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| Learning Activities and Planned Lesson Instruction:
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| Stage 3 - Learning Plan | |
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| Learning Activities and Planned Lesson Instruction: | |
Each of the Following Lessons Contains
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Lessons |
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Brug af Understanding by Design-rammen kan hjælpe lærere med at designe undervisning, der er fokuseret på de vigtigste begreber og færdigheder, og som fører til dyb forståelse og overførsel af læring. Det kan også være med til at gøre undervisningen mere engagerende og meningsfuld for eleverne, da den tilskynder lærere til at planlægge aktiviteter og vurderinger, der er autentiske og relevante for elevernes liv.
Lærere kan sikre, at deres Understanding by Design-lektioner er strenge og udfordrende ved at stille høje forventninger til alle elever, give eleverne muligheder for at anvende deres læring på autentiske og meningsfulde måder og tilbyde passende stilladser og støtte til elever, der kæmper. De kan også bruge formativ vurdering til at overvåge elevernes fremskridt og justere undervisningen efter behov.
Ja, Understanding by Design-rammen kan bruges i alle fagområder, da den er fokuseret på at designe undervisning, der fører til dyb forståelse og overførsel af læring, snarere end på specifikt indhold eller færdigheder.
Arbejdsark kan være et nyttigt værktøj i Understanding by Design, hvis de er designet til at understøtte det ønskede læringsudbytte og forståelse. De bør dog ikke være det primære fokus for undervisningen og bør bruges sammen med andre typer læringsaktiviteter og vurderinger.
