The big ideas of UbD

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The big ideas of UbD
UbD big idea Why important? If not
Backward Design
Plans need to be well aligned to be effective
Aimless activity coverage
Understanding Transfer
It is the essence of understanding and the
point of schooling
Students fail to apply, poor results on tests
Understanding via big ideas
thats how transfer happens, makes learning more
connected
Learning is fragmented, more difficult, less
engaging
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KEY 3 Stages of (Backward) Design
Then, and only then
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What we typically (incorrectly) do
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Stage 1 Design Questions

• What are the long-term transfer goals? In the
  end, students should be able, on their own,
  to...(Big Ideas)
• What are the desired (enduring) understandings?
  (What misunderstandings must be avoided,
  overcome?)
• What are the essential questions to be
  continually explored?
• What knowledge skill should they leave with?

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Stage 2 Design Questions

• What evidence for assessment (of skills and
• knowledge) is required by our Stage 1 goals?
• What performances are indicative of
• understanding - transfer of learning and
  understanding of content via big ideas?
• What other evidence is required by the goals?
• What scoring rubrics/criteria/indicators will be
  used to assess student work against the goals?

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Stage 2 Assessment

• The analytic challenge is to identify the
  ULTIMATE tasks embodying the Standard -
  reflecting the kind of accomplishment the
  Standard envisions - and other long-term goals
• What real-world important tasks epitomize the
  Standard?
• What projects should a student who has met the
  Standard be able to do well?
• What challenges in the world should students be
  prepared to handle and accomplish?

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Stage 3 - design Qs

• If those are the desired STAGE 1 goals and STAGE
  2 performance tasks . . .
• What do students need to acquire?
• What inquiries and meaning making must they
  actively be made to engage in?
• What transfer must they practice and get feedback
  on?
• What formative assessments are essential for
  feedback, adjustment, meeting goals?
• What sequence is optimal for engagement and
  success?
• How will the work be differentiated - without
  sacrificing goals - to optimize success of all?

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WHERETO

• Guidelines for Stage 3 learning design
• Where is the work headed (learning goals,
  relevance)?
• Hook and hold the learner (inquiry, research,
  problem solving,
• experimentation)
• Equip with key learning experience
  (experiential and inductive learning,
• direct instruction, homework and other)
• Rethink and revise thinking/work (rehearse,
  refine)
• Evaluate your progress (self-reflection,
  feedback)
• Tailored to personal need, interest, profile
  (differentiation)
• Organized for optimal learning (sequencing)

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Stage 3 Design

• Determine what needs to be uncovered
• vs. covered
• Test design against WHERETO
• How will students demonstrate learning
• and understanding? (6 Facets or Blooms)
• Diagnostic and formative assessments
• preassessment (summative is Stage 2)

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Unit Design Cycles
DESIGN, based on  Goals/Standards  Performance
gaps
In-class observations
Draft  Stage 1  Stage 2  Stage 3
Analysis of formative student work
Pre-assess, tweak
Adjust, as needed
Teach it with revisions, as needed
Design it
Student feedback - what works, what doesnt
Unit self-assessed against UbD design standards
Analysis of summative student work
Peer and/or Expert review
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Misconception Alert

• No one expects such recipes and cooking every
  day
• The aim is gourmet unit design -
• work smarter, not harder keep adding each year
  to a database of units

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Next Steps . . .

• Refer to the handouts (UbD Stages in a Nutshell,
  stage checklists, Observable Indicators of
  Teaching for Understanding, UbD Roadmap)
• Use the wikispace (school homepage then click on
  UbD)
• Try using essential questions next week
• Design (a) model unit(s) individually or as grade
  level teams within a subject area

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Next contd . . .

• Peer review those units informally or formally
• Consult with the UbD trainers
• Pilot those units
• Use the unit to provide data for your data team
• Request follow up work/consultation time
  individually, as
• grade level, cross school grade level/subject
  area