Backward Design: Starting with Desired Outcomes and Working Backwards to Plan Curriculum and Instruction.

Backward Design: Starting with Desired Outcomes and Working Backwards to Plan Curriculum and Instruction 🚀

Alright, class, settle down, settle down! No talking in the back! Today, we’re diving headfirst into the fascinating (and dare I say, life-changing) world of Backward Design.

Forget everything you think you know about lesson planning (okay, maybe not everything). We’re about to flip the script, turn it upside down, and give it a good shake! 🔄

Imagine you’re building a house. Would you just start slapping bricks together without a blueprint? Of course not! You’d have a vision, a plan, a desired outcome – a beautiful, functional home. Backward Design is the blueprint for your curriculum.

Instead of starting with the activities (the bricks), we begin with the end in mind – the desired results. Then, we meticulously work backward to design the experiences that will get our students there.

Think of it like planning a trip. Where do you want to go? (Rome! 🍕) Then, you figure out how to get there – plane, train, automobile? (Probably a plane, unless you’re really committed to the road trip.) And finally, you pack your suitcase with the essentials. (Sunscreen, comfortable shoes, and an insatiable appetite for pasta.)

So, what exactly IS Backward Design?

Backward Design is a curriculum planning process that focuses on starting with the desired learning outcomes, then determining acceptable evidence of learning, and finally, designing learning experiences and instruction. It’s all about aligning everything you do in the classroom with what you want your students to know, understand, and be able to do.

Why Bother with Backward Design? (The Benefits!)

Look, I know what you’re thinking: "Another pedagogy! Just what I needed!" But trust me, this isn’t just another buzzword. Backward Design is a game-changer. Here’s why:

• Focus and Clarity: It forces you to be crystal clear about your goals. No more aimless wandering through the curriculum wilderness! 🧭
• Relevance: It ensures that everything you teach is meaningful and contributes to student learning. No more fluff! ☁️
• Assessment-Driven: It aligns assessment with learning outcomes, so you know exactly what your students need to demonstrate. No more guessing! 🤔
• Engaging and Effective Instruction: It helps you design engaging and effective learning experiences that actually help students achieve the desired outcomes. No more boring lectures! 😴
• Student Success: Ultimately, it increases student success by providing a clear path to mastery. 🙌

The Three Stages of Backward Design: The Real Meat and Potatoes

Now that you’re convinced (or at least intrigued), let’s break down the three stages of Backward Design. Think of them as the Holy Trinity of Curriculum Planning!

Stage 1: Identify Desired Results (What do you want students to know, understand, and be able to do?)

This is where you define the ultimate destination of your learning journey. What are the big ideas, enduring understandings, and essential questions that you want your students to grasp? What specific knowledge and skills should they acquire?

• Consider the Big Picture: What are the relevant standards and frameworks? (Think national, state, and district standards.) What are the overarching goals of the course or unit?
• Unpack the Standards: Don’t just copy and paste standards! Break them down into their component parts. What knowledge, skills, and understandings are embedded within each standard?
• Write Clear and Concise Learning Objectives: These should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

Example:

Instead of: “Students will understand the American Revolution.” (Too vague!)

Try: “Students will be able to analyze the causes of the American Revolution, explain its key events, and evaluate its impact on American society.” (Much better!)

Key Questions for Stage 1:

• What enduring understandings are desired? (What big ideas do we want students to "get" and retain long after the unit is over?)
• What essential questions will frame the inquiry? (What thought-provoking questions will stimulate students’ curiosity and guide their learning?)
• What knowledge and skills should students acquire? (What specific facts, concepts, and procedures should students learn?)

Pro-Tip: Think about what you want students to be able to do with the knowledge they acquire. Can they apply it to real-world situations? Can they solve problems? Can they create something new?

Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence (How will you know if students have achieved the desired results?)

This stage is all about assessment. How will you know if your students have actually learned what you intended them to learn? What evidence will you collect to demonstrate their understanding?

• Think Beyond Tests: Assessment isn’t just about quizzes and exams. Consider a variety of assessment methods, including performance tasks, projects, presentations, debates, and even informal observations.
• Align Assessment with Learning Objectives: Make sure your assessments directly measure the knowledge, skills, and understandings you identified in Stage 1. If you want students to analyze, assess their ability to analyze!
• Develop Clear Rubrics and Criteria: Provide students with clear expectations for success. What does excellent work look like? What are the criteria for evaluation?

Example:

If your learning objective is: "Students will be able to write a persuasive essay."

Acceptable evidence might include:

• A persuasive essay graded using a rubric that assesses argumentation, evidence, and clarity.
• A peer review activity where students provide feedback on each other’s essays.
• A self-reflection activity where students evaluate their own writing skills.

Key Questions for Stage 2:

• What evidence will demonstrate students’ understanding of the desired results?
• What assessments (performance tasks, projects, tests, etc.) will be used to gather this evidence?
• What rubrics and criteria will be used to evaluate student work?

Pro-Tip: Think about the different types of understanding you want to assess. Do you want students to demonstrate factual knowledge? Conceptual understanding? Procedural fluency? Or all of the above?

Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction (What learning activities will enable students to achieve the desired results?)

This is where you finally get to the fun part – designing the actual lessons and activities! But remember, this stage comes after you’ve clarified your goals and determined how you’ll assess student learning.

• Choose Engaging and Effective Activities: Select activities that are relevant, challenging, and engaging for your students. Think about their interests, learning styles, and prior knowledge.
• Align Activities with Learning Objectives and Assessments: Make sure your activities directly support the learning objectives and prepare students for the assessments.
• Provide Opportunities for Practice and Feedback: Give students plenty of opportunities to practice the skills and concepts you’re teaching, and provide them with timely and constructive feedback.
• Differentiate Instruction: Adapt your instruction to meet the diverse needs of your students. Provide support for struggling learners and challenge advanced learners.

Example:

If your learning objective is: "Students will be able to solve quadratic equations."

Learning activities might include:

• Direct instruction on the quadratic formula.
• Guided practice problems with teacher support.
• Independent practice problems.
• Real-world application problems.
• A collaborative problem-solving activity.

Key Questions for Stage 3:

• What activities will enable students to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills?
• What resources will be needed to support these activities?
• How will instruction be differentiated to meet the needs of all learners?
• How will students receive feedback on their learning?

Pro-Tip: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different teaching strategies and activities. What works for one group of students might not work for another. Be flexible and adapt your instruction as needed.

A Handy-Dandy Table to Summarize the Stages:

Stage	Focus	Key Questions	Examples
Stage 1: Identify Desired Results	Defining the learning goals and outcomes	What do we want students to know, understand, and be able to do?	Understanding the causes of the Civil War, being able to write a persuasive essay, being able to solve quadratic equations.
Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence	Planning assessments to measure student learning	How will we know if students have achieved the desired results?	Essay, presentation, project, test, performance task.
Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction	Designing learning activities and instruction to support student learning	What learning activities will enable students to achieve the desired results?	Direct instruction, guided practice, independent practice, group work, simulations, experiments.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid (The Backward Design Booby Traps!)

Backward Design isn’t foolproof. Here are some common mistakes to watch out for:

• Vague Learning Objectives: If your learning objectives are too broad or unclear, it will be difficult to design effective assessments and activities. 😕
• Misaligned Assessments: If your assessments don’t directly measure the learning objectives, you won’t get an accurate picture of student learning. 😵‍💫
• Activities That Don’t Support Learning: If your activities are just for fun and don’t contribute to the learning objectives, you’re wasting valuable class time. 🤪
• Ignoring Student Needs: If you don’t consider the diverse needs of your students, some learners will be left behind. 🥺
• Forgetting to Reflect and Revise: Backward Design is an iterative process. Don’t be afraid to reflect on your teaching and revise your plans as needed. 🧐

Real-World Example: Teaching the Water Cycle 🌊

Let’s walk through a simple example of Backward Design in action. Let’s say you’re teaching the water cycle to elementary students.

Stage 1: Identify Desired Results

• Enduring Understanding: Water is constantly moving and changing states in a continuous cycle.
• Essential Question: Where does water come from, and where does it go?
• Knowledge: Students will know the different stages of the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation, collection).
• Skills: Students will be able to explain the water cycle in their own words and create a diagram of the water cycle.

Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence

• Performance Task: Students will create a diorama of the water cycle, labeling each stage and explaining how it works.
• Assessment: The diorama will be graded using a rubric that assesses accuracy, clarity, and creativity.
• Other Evidence: Students will participate in a class discussion about the water cycle and answer questions on a short quiz.

Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

• Activity 1: Read a storybook about the water cycle.
• Activity 2: Watch a video animation of the water cycle.
• Activity 3: Conduct a simple experiment to demonstrate evaporation and condensation.
• Activity 4: Create a class diagram of the water cycle.
• Activity 5: Students work individually or in small groups to create their dioramas.

Putting it All Together: A Backward Design Template

To help you organize your thoughts, here’s a simple template you can use for Backward Design:

Unit/Lesson Title:	Grade Level:	Subject:
Stage 1: Desired Results
Enduring Understandings:
Essential Questions:
Knowledge:
Skills:
Stage 2: Acceptable Evidence
Performance Task(s):
Assessment(s):
Rubric/Criteria:
Stage 3: Learning Experiences and Instruction
Activities:
Resources:
Differentiation:
Feedback:

Final Thoughts: Embrace the Backwardness!

Backward Design may seem counterintuitive at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll wonder how you ever planned curriculum any other way. It’s a powerful tool that can help you create more focused, relevant, and engaging learning experiences for your students.

So, embrace the backwardness! Start with the end in mind, and work your way back to create a truly impactful curriculum.

Now, go forth and design! And remember, if you ever get lost, just ask yourself: "What do I want my students to know, understand, and be able to do?" The answer will guide you.

Class dismissed! 👩‍🏫 🍎 🎉