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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Izstrādājuma izpratnes izmantošana var palīdzēt skolotājiem izstrādāt norādījumus, kas ir vērsti uz vissvarīgākajiem jēdzieniem un prasmēm un kas noved pie dziļas izpratnes un mācīšanās pārneses. Tas var arī palīdzēt padarīt apmācību saistošāku un nozīmīgāku skolēniem, jo tas mudina skolotājus plānot aktivitātes un vērtējumus, kas ir autentiski un saistīti ar studentu dzīvi.
Skolotāji var nodrošināt, ka viņu Understanding by Design nodarbības ir stingras un izaicinošas, izvirzot lielas cerības visiem studentiem, nodrošinot studentiem iespējas pielietot mācības autentiskā un jēgpilnā veidā un piedāvājot atbilstošus sastatnes un atbalstu grūtībās nonākušajiem audzēkņiem. Viņi var arī izmantot veidojošo vērtēšanu, lai uzraudzītu studentu progresu un vajadzības gadījumā pielāgotu norādījumus.
Jā, ietvaru Understanding by Design var izmantot visās mācību priekšmetu jomās, jo tā ir vērsta uz tādu instrukciju izstrādi, kas ved uz dziļu izpratni un mācīšanās pārnesi, nevis uz konkrētu saturu vai prasmēm.
Darblapas var būt noderīgs rīks Izpratnē pēc dizaina, ja tās ir izstrādātas, lai atbalstītu vēlamos mācību rezultātus un izpratni. Tomēr tiem nevajadzētu būt apmācības galvenajam mērķim, un tie būtu jāizmanto kopā ar cita veida mācību aktivitātēm un novērtējumiem.
