What models do you plan to use? What will you take from backward design?

Backwards Design comes from the Understanding by Design model of learning developed by Tomlinson and Tighe. The basic premise of this model is that, in planning lessons and units, educators should begin at the end result and work backward to plan instruction, activities, and assessments. The three stages of this are as follows: “(1) identify desired results: what should students know, understand, and be able to do? What content is worthy of understanding? What ‘enduring’ understandings are desired? What essential questions will be explored? (2) Determine acceptable evidence. How will we know whether students achieved the desired results? What will we accept as evidence of student understanding and proficiency? (3) Plan learning experiences and instruction. What enabling knowledge and skills will students need to perform effectively and achieve desired results? What activities, sequence, and resources are best suited to accomplish our goals?” (Tomlinson and McTighe, 27-28). One of the most beneficial aspects of utilizing this model is the idea of starting with the goals in mind, rather than teaching based on the book, which is what the educators had in mind when they developed this. This model helps educators avoid two big problem areas of teaching which are “activity oriented instruction” where learning is structured around more random activities and “coverage” where teachers go through a chronological march through the textbook (Tomlinson and McTighe, 28). Both of these issues are really important to avoid, especially if one intends to utilize the idea of generative topics, which is why this model of lesson planning is so helpful and effective.