Backward Planning is like learning to retie your shoes

I am really confused about this whole Backward Design planning thing. I have read Chapter One of “Understanding by Design” twice now and there are many good points in the book but I still don’t really get it. Since August I have been taught one main way to design a lesson plan. First, look at the standard course of study for the grade I am planning a lesson for. Then find the subject, math for example. Next, either a teacher tells us to plan a lesson targeting a specific goal such as 4th grade math, goal 1, objective 1.01 or we use the pacing guide for that grade and subject to design a lesson for a specific goal and objective of our choosing. Next, we look through textbooks, online sources or simply write our own lesson to meet that standard. After deciding what to teach I gather the materials, practice teaching the lesson at my house and then go to school and teach it. After teaching the lesson I give students a quiz, test, drawing, or some type of assessment to complete so I know that they understand what I just taught. According to Wiggins and McTighe this is referred to as a content-focused design. These authors suggest using a results-focused design instead. According to Wiggins and McTighe I have been approaching lessons for the past eleven months by hope instead of by design.

When Dr. Duncan first introduced us to backward design in class yesterday I initially thought, “It will take forever to write a lesson plan this way.” After looking at the backward design stages and reading about each several times, I think that the first lesson I plan like this will take a lot of time. But like anything else, with practice I will get better at it and I will get faster. Backward design makes sense but it is still a confusing and intricate concept to me. Like all the other lessons I have planned in the past few months I begin by identifying the desired results. I ask myself, “What should students know, understand and be able to do?” “What content should I teach?” To answer these questions I look at the standard course of study. This part is no different from how I have been planning. Next, in backwards planning you must determine acceptable evidence so you know if students have achieved the desired result. This part is totally different than what I am use to. Traditionally I plan a lesson and then designed what product, test or quizzes I will give the students to assess them. I understand that the backwards approach encourages teachers to “think like an assessor” before designing specific units and lessons but to me this seems difficult to do. Lastly, you plan your learning experiences and instruction.

I think backwards planning is going to be like having someone show me how to tie my shoe. At first the concept is hard but after much practice I understand (traditional lesson planning). Then when I think I am getting good at tying my shoe someone comes up to me and says, “You are tying your shoe the wrong way. He is how to do it (backwards planning).” Then he/she shows me a different way to tie my shoe. This new way of tying my shoe may be hard at first but after practicing this way for several months it will become habit (or at least that is my hope).