Understanding by Design
What is Understanding, by Design?
A framework for curriculum planning, assessment design, and teaching with a goal of teaching for understanding and transfer.
What we want students to understand are the larger transferrable concepts and processes within and across subjects.
Examples
Jay McTighe
What is worth understanding in the area that we're teaching?
Resources and Notes
Vanderbilt
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Not serendipitous on accident like: a student asks a question and we just go with that for awhile
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Serendipitous by intention: that student question is a great entry point into the next piece of a structured curriculum.
Video 1
- Keep long-term goals (and understanding in particular) in view
- Get the blend of 'content' and 'performance' right
- Better engage learners
It is possible to get straight As at every school in America without critical and creative thinking
You can't just pat yourself on the back because you admit smart people and they do smart things
If you had to write a 1 sentence mission statement for your course: What would it be?
"What is the point of my course?"
Video 2
The textbook is not the course. The textbook is a resource in support of the course.
Design backwards from the outcomes you want, not from content headings.
term: "Transfer Goals"
Culminate in meaning and transfer
"We didn't cover that one" as a student response is a failure of the course
Intellectual engagement is a design consideration, it's not the student's problem