*Understanding+by+Design

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What is it? Understanding by Design or UBD is a tool utilized for educational planning focused on "teaching for understanding" advocated by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins in their // Understanding by Design // (1998), published by the [|Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development]. The emphasis of UbD is on " [|backward design] ", the practice of looking at the outcomes in order to design [|curriculum] units, performance [|assessments], and classroom instruction. As defined by Wiggins and McTighe, Understanding by Design is a "framework for designing curriculum units, performance assessments, and instruction that lead your students to deep understanding of the content you teach,"UbD expands on "six facets of understanding", which include students being able to explain, interpret, apply, have perspective, empathize, and have self-knowledge about a given topic.

[|Teachers], according to UbD proponents, traditionally start curriculum planning with activities and textbooks instead of identifying classroom learning goals and planning towards that goal. In backward design, the teacher starts with classroom outcomes and then plans the curriculum, choosing activities and materials that help determine student ability and foster student learning.

The Backward design approach is developed in three stages. Stage 1 starts with educators identifying the desired results of their students by establishing the overall goal of the lessons by using content standards, common core or state standards. In addition, UbD's stage 1 defines "Students will understand that..." and lists essential questions that will guide the learner to understanding. **Stage 1** also focuses on identifying "what students will know" and most importantly "what students will be able to do". **Stage 2** focuses on evidence of learning by assessment. Teachers plan performance tasks and evidence of understanding. Performance tasks determine what the students will demonstrate in the unit and what evidence will prove their understanding. This can include self-reflections and self-assessments on learning. Lastly, **Stage 3** lists the learning activities that will lead students to your desired results.

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Principles:

An understanding is a MENTAL CONSTRUCT an abstraction made by the human mind to make sense of many distinct pieces of knowledge.

If students UNDERSTAND then they can provide evidence of that understanding by showing that they KNOW and CAN DO certain specific things.

It is a way of thinking purposefully about curriculum planning.

The end goal is learner understanding and the ability to transfer learning.

Evidence of understanding is revealed through performance when learners transfer knowledge and skills effectively.

Sources: www.slideshare.net/drburwell/ **understanding-by-design **

Teaching Ideas: 1.real life situations 2. drama presentations 3.Work book activities