Backward Design

I enjoyed this week’s readings on backward design and Module A and F. Out of the three readings; I preferred the chapter one reading on backward design because it was offered helpful information that we can use when we put together our lesson plans. Backward design involves three steps. The first step discussed was identifying desired results. As a future teacher, I can understand why this step would be valid to work with first. Teachers are responsible for conveying certain mandated information to our students. Before we teach a lesson it is important to first look at which state required standard we are fulfilling. Along with selecting these standards, it is also important to keep goals in mind. As teachers, we should know what information we want our students to take away from the lesson. The three rings described in the first chapter of Backward Design outline the three different types of learning that occur. The smallest ring consists of the information that we as teachers feel are the most important information for our students to understand. The second ring is important information to know / do, and the largest ring is information worth being familiar with. While reading about these different rings, I started thinking about how I can design lesson plans to incorporate these tips and focus in on the most important information to convey to my students. One tip that stuck out to me was that when teaching, we should be asking ourselves if the information we are teaching our students in class is essential and worth knowing. I thought this was a valid point, but it also lead me to ponder a scenario where I may be forced to teach a lesson that is mandated and I may not believe the information is essential or worth knowing. I wonder how often teachers do not agree with what they are teaching to their class.

 The second stage of the backward design is determining acceptable evidence. This stage uses a range of assessment methods. The stage involves using formal and informal assessments to determine if students understand what is being taught. I feel that this step is necessary because assessment is the way teachers can grade themselves on how their lesson turned out. If students do not do well on the assessment, the teacher should be aware that something in their lesson plans are not getting through to the students. I also liked how the article mentioned that both formal and informal assessment should be used to determine understanding. I feel that many teachers often assign a test or quiz that does not always accurately determine how much the student knows. Quizzes test if students know the answer to questions being asked, but students are not able to display information they know that is not being asked. For that reason, I think informal assessment is equally as important.

The third step in the backward design is planning learning experiences and instruction. During this stage teachers will plan activities that will equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to acquire. This step also involves determining what needs to be taught during the lesson. This would typically be mistakenly assumed to be the first step in designing the lesson plan, but the backward design lesson plan shows us that we should actually save this step for last. Once we are familiar with the standards that should be met, and the assessments that will be used, we can think develop a well-planned thought out lesson plan.