Backward Design
Starting curriculum design with desired outcomes, then planning assessment and instruction to achieve them.
Also known as: Backward planning, Backward curriculum design
Category: Methods
Tags: education, curriculum, designs, planning, assessments
Explanation
Backward design, popularized by Wiggins and McTighe in 'Understanding by Design,' reverses traditional curriculum planning. Instead of starting with content and activities, you begin with the end: What should students know and be able to do? Then work backward: How will we know if they learned it (assessment)? What activities will help them get there (instruction)? The three stages are: identify desired results, determine acceptable evidence, and plan learning experiences. This prevents 'coverage' without understanding and ensures alignment between goals, assessment, and instruction. For knowledge workers and self-learners, backward design principles apply to: starting projects with clear success criteria, defining how you'll know you've learned something, and designing practice around actual performance needs rather than just accumulating information.
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