Why backward design?…It was the first question I asked myself when I started to read this chapter, then my first objective was to discover why the chapter had this name. The answer appeared on page 19, so here it is:
This [backward design] is all quite logical when you come to understand it, but “backward” from the perspective of much habit and tradition in our field. A major change from common practice occurs as designers must begin to think about assessment before deciding what and how they will teach. Rather than creating assessments near the conclusion of a unit of study…
Wow... it is not simple then, to start on the other way around and consider assessment before thinking about the ‘what’ to teach. Because we normally start the process by choosing the units we are going to teach and how we are going to teach them; therefore, assessment is normally the last stage in this process. Probably this is the easiest way, especially if we work with textbooks where everything is already set, and we simply follow a path traced by someone else. But as we have been through this book, it makes sense that we have to do it on the other way around, because then we are forced to clearly set the goals before deciding on the units or topics to work with. So, this chapter proposes us three stages to follow this backward design: 1) identify desired results; 2) determine acceptable evidence; and 3) plan learning experiences and instruction.
Finally, after all the readings we have had this semester, I think I cannot disagree with the idea that we teachers are designers, and therefore an essential act of our profession is the crafting of our curriculum, learning experiences and assessments to meet specified purposes (goals) previously set by ourselves, considering the weaknesses, strengths and needs of our students.
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Dear,
ReplyDelete"it is not simple then, to start on the other way around and consider assessment before thinking about the ‘what’ to teach."
I think it's even easier if you think about carefully. Thinking about the final expected outcome makes all the rest clear, you just need to find out how to reach this goal and what instrumets your going to use. And what we do is actually longer and more confusing, first of all because we work without objectives, or we think we work with them, then trying to fit some material which not necessarily will work for the purposes and a final test that most likely will not evaluate what we are "looking for". In general terms, backward design is quite economical in this respect, though difficult to carry out, especially when you have not been trained how to. Anyway, it just looks great to have a go.
:)
Claudio
If we work with textbooks where everything is already set, and we simply follow a path traced by someone else, as you quote, one fundamental thing here is to get the best of those textbooks so as to come into terms with those innovative ideas, say, trying to get the best out of them to see whether these ideas might work in our own particular classrooms.
ReplyDeleteThinking of students weaknesses and strengths is also important when thinking of what activities to select, the micro skills and sub-skills to be developed, and the goals we want our student to fulfill, depite all the constraints and problems we are to face in our daily teaching.
Dear Scarlette,
ReplyDeleteWhenever a change is needed, there is a huge process of adaptation. When a change is needed in teaching, it is more difficult to persuade the ones involved. Why? Probably because it is more comfortable to carry out the same old routine and do nothing new. Why trying things out when what we are doing is somehow working?
Yet, what evidences do we have from that? If they actually exist, I am sure they are all insuficient.
These brilliant ideas put forward in UbD need to be put into teachers' minds. How? Brainwashing? Persuading them? Showing evidence? Teaching them how to reflect on their practices?
When that is actually achieved, changes may start.
Dear Scarlette,
ReplyDeleteI loved your comment when saying that an essential act of our profession is the crafting of our curriculum. I totally agree on that, since we are the ones to start a change in our classrooms. It is true that everything seems so unreal when thinking about it as a general change in educations but if we simply start in our classroom everything makes sense.
On the one hand, I consider this chapter, as weel as the whole book, a bit utopian, yet on the other hand, I think that if we take some ideas from it we can make a significant improvement in our teaching practices.
Dear Scarlette:
ReplyDeleteThinking of the final outcome before deciding what to teach and how to teach it is the best way to reach understanding. It also helps us to guide our practices in the right direction i.e. students’ learning. In this respect, students’ needs have to be the central issue to consider in order to succeed in our task.
It is our duty as backward designers to stop covering contents without any goal in mind. After reading the chapters, we have the essential tool to change education. It does not matter how many obstacles may appear in our way. It all depends on our decision.
Dear Scarlette,
ReplyDeleteAt first, when I read your post, I thought as you did that it was much more difficult to start doing our job as you said "the other way around"; however, after reading Claudio's comment I think he is right when saying that is much easier "that" way than our own, let's call it, teacher's style. Because at the same time of setting our objectives, we immediately may consider lots of factors regarding assessment... "there we have our goals" ; therefore, we may avoid "extra difficulties" and just focus on what we actually want to follow and then and make our job much easier and somehow simpler.
As you mention, we are the ones who are in clasrooms, now that we know more we can change things on our practices to enrich the learning of our students
ReplyDeleteThE SIMPLE THINGS can be the most difficult sometimes, dont know.But as someone said havng clear the end, or the purpose things can get easier for us,in a way.
ReplyDeleteAND if you have an entire school community supporting you, why not?????
Dear Scarlette,
ReplyDeleteBakcward design can be considered as a major breakthrough in assesmment and curriculm design. Hence, we cannot expect to have positive results straight away. To illustrate this, for example, it is not enough that teachers of english start designing their yearly planning based on this Bakward design, but also all the other teachers. This is the only way we can be pretty susccessful in implementing the Backward design. If only teachers of English do it, most probably our efforts will be lost.
So let's invite the other teachers to join us!
How would I finish the posts round without posting you?
ReplyDeleteAfter everything we have read, I would also like to be a little nihilistic as Claudio is (yes, we share the same feelings sometimes). Good ideas, excellent theory, effective tips, a bright and sunny future, etc. but is this going to work? I say this because not everything is up to us. We are designers, facillitators, psychologists but not policy makers; and moreover, although peer sharing is a key to better education, how many of those idiot teachers are willing to share an afternoon with us in the teachers' lounge? They would say we are too new, too inexperienced and will explain that students are the enemy... and you cannot disagree with the voive of the experience. Then, again, the heavy bag of 'doing the right thing' falls upon our shoulders. Nevertheless, as I said before, we have the students, the classroom and we have ourselves to change the world in an hour and a half... Is it going to be enough? I don't know.
See you, dear!