
What is understanding by Design (UbD)?
Understanding By Design, or UBD, is a framework and accompanying design process for thinking decisively about unit lesson planning. The concept was developed by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins, and as part of their principles they state that UBD “…is not a philosophy of education”. It is not designed to tell teachers what or how to teach;
What is the understanding by design framework?
The Understanding by Design¨framework (UbDª framework) offers a plan - ning process and structure to guide curriculum, assessment, and instruction. Its two key ideas are contained in the title: 1) focus on teaching and assessing for understanding and learning transfer, and 2) design curriculum ÒbackwardÓ from those ends.
What is U B Dª framework?
INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS U b Dª FRAMEWORK? The Understanding by Design¨framework (UbDª framework) offers a plan - ning process and structure to guide curriculum, assessment, and instruction.
What are the advantages of UBD?
The UbD framework helps this process without offering a rigid process or prescriptive recipe. 2.The UbD framework helps to focus curriculum and teaching on the development and deepening of student understand- ing and transfer of learning (i.e., the ability to effectively use content knowledge and skill). 3.

What is the main concept of UbD?
Understanding by Design, or UbD, is an educational planning approach. UbD is an example of backward design, the practice of looking at the outcomes in order to design curriculum units, performance assessments, and classroom instruction. UbD focuses on teaching to achieve understanding.
Why is UbD a framework?
The UbD framework helps to focus curriculum and teaching on the development and deepening of student understand- ing and transfer of learning (i.e., the ability to effectively use content knowledge and skill).
What is design Theory understanding?
Understanding by design (UBD) is a framework that is based on the idea that firstly, teaching should help students transfer their knowledge and secondly, professors should consider backward design to achieve this.
What are the 3 stages of the UbD model?
Wiggins and McTighe (2005) described Understanding by Design through three stages: a) identify desired results, b) determine acceptable evidence, and c) plan learning experiences and instruction (see Figure 1).
How do teachers use UbD?
UbD is a process of backward curriculum design. There are three important steps to backward design planning: Identifying the desired outcome....Step 1: Identify desired results. ... Step 2: Determine a method of assessment. ... Step 3: Plan instruction and learning experiences.
How do you use UbD in the classroom?
The UBD design process is organized into three stages: Identify Desired Results. Determine Acceptable Evidence. Create the Learning Plans.
What are the 3 key concepts of design thinking?
So how do you get started with design thinking? The next time you need to solve a problem, you can grow your team's creative capacity by focusing on three core design thinking principles, or the 3 E's: empathy, expansive thinking, and experimentation.
What are the 5 stages of design thinking?
The Five Phases of Design Thinking The short form of the design thinking process can be articulated in five steps or phases: empathize, define, ideate, prototype and test. Let's briefly explore each of these phases in relation to a practical design process.
What are the 5 D's of design thinking?
The 5 D's are Discovery, Design, Development, Delivery and Debrief. Anderson introduced the concept and discussed the first two D's in her first installment.
Is UbD research based?
However, the principles and practices of UbD reflect contemporary views of learning based on research in cognitive psychology and are validated by specific studies of factors influencing student achievement. A number of sources providing the underlying research base for UbD are summarized below.
What are the strengths of Understanding by Design?
Through Understanding by Design, educators are able to develop curriculum and learning experiences that will help students develop and deepen their understanding of important ideas, and to ultimately transfer their learning in meaningful ways.
What are the essential questions in UbD?
Essential questions are open-ended questions that naturally recur. They enable students to make meaning rather than simply take or receive them. They help students truly understand ideas by driving them to ponder, edit, debate, and discuss these questions.
Is universal design a framework?
UD can provide a philosophical framework for the design of all products and environments at all education levels—including technology, teaching and learning activities, academic spaces, student services and professional meetings. The paragraphs that follow flesh out the Framework for applying UD in education (UDE).
How is the UbD framework different from the conventional lesson plan?
UbD emphasizes the importance of strategic planning that begins with the end in mind. While traditional methods incorporate test creation at the end of a unit, UbD begins with the assessment and works ''backward'' from there. This framework follows a distinct process.
What are the strengths of Understanding by Design?
Through Understanding by Design, educators are able to develop curriculum and learning experiences that will help students develop and deepen their understanding of important ideas, and to ultimately transfer their learning in meaningful ways.
What are the big ideas of UbD?
As its title suggests, Understanding by Design (UbD) reflects the convergence of two interdependent ideas: (1) research on learning and cognition that highlights the centrality of teaching and assessing for understanding, and (2) a helpful and time- honored process for curriculum writing (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005).
What is the UBD framework?
The Understanding by Design Framework® (UbD), created by nationally recognized educators Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins, is a planning process and structure that guides teachers in implementing effective standards-based performance tasks. Defined Learning’s performance tasks follow the UbD framework to save teachers time and improve student understanding and achievement.
What is UBD based on?
UbD is based on seven key tenets: UbD is a way of thinking purposefully about curricular planning, not a rigid program or prescriptive recipe. A primary goal of UbD is developing and deepening student understanding: the ability to make meaning of learning via “big ideas” and transfer learning.
What is UBD in education?
The Understanding by Design Framework® (UbD), created by nationally recognized educators Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins, is a planning process and structure that guides teachers in implementing effective standards-based performance tasks.
What are the two key ideas of Understanding by Design?
Key Ideas. The two key ideas of Understanding by Design are contained in its title: 1) Focus on teaching and assessing for understanding and transfer. 2) Design curriculum “backward” from those ends. UbD is based on seven key tenets:
What is defined learning?
Defined Learning reinforces and supports the Understanding by Design framework for curriculum, instruction and assessment. Through the utilization of performance tasks and related resources, Defined Learning reflects the educational strategies of STEM education and project-based learning.
What is the purpose of regular reviews of units and curriculum against design standards?
Regular reviews of units and curriculum against design standards enhance curricular quality and effectiveness.
What is effective curriculum?
Effective curriculum is planned “backward” from long-term desired results though a three-stage design process (Desired Results, Evidence, Learning Plan). This process helps to avoid the twin problems of “textbook coverage” and “activity-oriented” teaching in which no clear priorities and purposes are apparent.
The Process of Using Understanding by Design: Principles and Practices
Leo, a third grade teacher in Arizona, is teaching handwriting skills. His grade level standard calls for him to teach students to read and write upper and lower case cursive letters. A year ago, his class would have been doomed to practice with drills on mounds of worksheets, and he would have been content with that.
Knowledge and Transfer
In the Understanding by Design framework, Leo centers on teaching and assessing students for understanding and transfer. Understanding means simply that students get it. Transfer means they can apply learned skills and knowledge to other situations or authentic tasks on their own.
Design Stages
The first stage centers on the results you want. This is where you set up long-term transfer goals. Leo decided that, in today's world, cursive writing is used most in signing official documents, such as checks, applications, and letters.
Why UbD?
In addition to being a common-sense and modern way of structuring curriculum, UbD has a proven track record in improving students’ understanding and achievement. Here are some highlights from recent research:
How does UBD work?
In addition to being a common-sense and modern way of structuring curriculum, UbD has a proven track record in improving students’ understanding and achievement. Here are some highlights from recent research: 1 This study found that using UbD to teach 8th-grade science was more successful than traditional methods and had a meaningful positive impact on students’ performance 2 Another study found that using UbD principles to teach English as a foreign language had a statistically significant positive impact on B students’ achievement 3 Yet another study found that science students taught with a UbD model achieved higher than their non-UbD counterparts and were more engaged in class
What differentiates UBD from other teaching models?
What differentiates UbD from other teaching models is the idea of working ‘backwards’ from your goals. For instance, when designing curriculum, you begin with the standards you want instructors to teach, the skills you want students to acquire, and so on. From this point, teachers can structure their units and lessons around these end goals. Essentially, you start with the final destination and build the roadmap to get there.
What is UBD in education?
According to the ASCD, Understanding by Design (abbreviated as UbD) is a “planning process and structure to guide curriculum, assessment, and instruction” which contains two core concepts: 1) The idea that all teaching and assessment should be focused on developing students’ deep understanding of course concepts and ability to transfer their ...
How is understanding measured?
This understanding, the ASCD suggests, can be measured in six main ways: in students ’ “capacity to explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, empathize, and self-assess.”
Understanding by Design
Defined Learning’s projects are built utilizing the Understanding by Design Framework® (UbD). UbD is a revolutionary educational concept providing students opportunities to apply their knowledge using project based learning. As a result, students improve understanding and achievement.
What is Understanding by Design?
The Understanding by Design Framework, created by nationally recognized educators Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins, is a structure supporting teachers in implementing relevant project based learning tasks.
Video Resources
Jay McTighe, co-author of Understanding by Design, discusses Knowledge Transfer, College & Career Readiness, and Assessment.
Why use the Understanding by Design Framework?
The UbD framework allows teachers and districts to maintain existing curriculum by simply refocusing it from itemized learning to full understanding. By embracing this ‘backwards’ design, teachers are able to create courses and units focused on the goal of learning rather than the process of teaching.
Performance Tasks
In an increasingly interconnected world, students benefit from the opportunity to look at problem-solving in a global context. Defined Learning performance tasks ask students to step into a STEM career role and use critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity to design a product and/or solve a problem.
Constructed Response Tasks
According to the most recent nationwide assessment of American high school seniors’ writing skills, only one in four can produce a college-level essay. Defined Learning’s constructed response tasks target reading, writing, and thinking skills in grades K-6 to develop communication competency.
Project-Based Literacy Tasks
Building from the constructed-response tasks, literacy tasks guide students grades 6-12 through real-world situations that require writing informational or persuasive products. Students have access to resources to help them develop critical thinking skills within a writing framework.
What is understanding by design?
Understanding by Design is a book written by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe that offers a framework for designing courses and content units called “Backward Design.”. Instructors typically approach course design in a “forward design” manner, meaning they consider the learning activities (how to teach the content), ...
What is the first stage of a lesson?
In the first stage, the instructor must consider the learning goals of the lesson, unit, or course. Wiggins and McTighe provide a useful process for establishing curricular priorities. They suggest that the instructor ask themselves the following three questions as they progressively focus in on the most valuable content:
Why are big ideas and important understandings referred to as enduring understandings?
The big ideas and important understandings are referred to as enduring understandings because these are the ideas that instructors want students to remember sometime after they’ve completed the course.
What is the second stage of backward design?
The second stage of backward design has instructors consider the assessments and performance tasks students will complete in order to demonstrate evidence of understanding and learning. In the previous stage, the instructor pinpointed the learning goals of the course. Therefore, they will have a clearer vision of what evidence students can provide to show they have achieved or have started to attain the goals of the course. Consider the following two questions at this stage:
Why is backward design beneficial?
As previously stated, backward design is beneficial to instructors because it innately encourages intentionality during the design process.
What is the second stage of learning?
Once the learning goals have been established, the second stage involves consideration of assessment. The backward design framework suggests that instructors should consider these overarching learning goals and how students will be assessed prior to consideration of how to teach the content.
What is deliberate instructional design?
“Deliberate and focused instructional design requires us as teachers and curriculum writers to make an important shift in our thinking about the nature of our job. The shift involves thinking a great deal, first, about the specific learnings sought, and the evidence of such learnings, before thinking about what we, as the teacher, will do or provide in teaching and learning activities.”
What is Stage 2 evidence?
In addition to performance tasks, Stage 2 includes other evidence, such as tradi - tional quizzes, tests, observations, and work samples to round out the assess - ment picture to determine what students know and can do. A key idea in backward design has to do with alignment.
What is acquisition of content?
Acquisition of content is a means, in the service of meaning making and transfer. Ultimately, teaching should equip learners to be able to use or transfer their learning (i.e., meaningful performance with content). This is the result we always want to keep in mind. Page 5.
What is the purpose of stage 1 of UBD?
An important point in the UbD framework is to recognize that factual knowledge and skills are not taught for their own sake, but as a means to larger ends.
What is a teacher?
5. Teachers are coaches of understanding, not mere purveyors of content knowl - edge, skill, or activity. They focus on ensuring that learning happens, not just teaching (and assuming that what was taught was learned); they always aim and check for successful meaning making and transfer by the learner.
What are the key ideas of UBD?
Its two key ideas are contained in the title: 1) focus on teaching and assessing for understanding and learning transfer, and 2) design curriculum ÒbackwardÓ from those ends. The UbD framework is based on seven key tenets: 1. Learning is enhanced when teachers think purposefully about curricular plan - ning.
What is UBD framework?
The UbD framework offers a three-stage backward design process for curriculum planning, and includes a template and set of design tools that embody the process. A key concept in UbD framework is align - ment (i.e., all three stages must clearly align not only to standards, but also to one another).
Is it a teacher's job to cover a book page by page?
Textual materials can provide important resources for teachers. However, it is not a teacherÕs job to cover a book page-by- page. A textbook should be viewed as a guide, not the curriculum. A teacherÕs job is to teach to established standards using the textbook and other resources in sup - port of student learning.
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