Backward Design

I wonder sometimes how I learned anything at all as I recall the techniques with which I was taught. Am I exceptional? Well, yes, of course I am, but I cannot possibly be that remarkable of a student considering I'm not writing this blog from a computer lab at Harvard University. Pondering the irony of being such a high performing student that I could see through the gobbledygook of ineffective teaching to make meaningful connections and yet not being recognized as a noteworthy learner, I question how poorly our country as a whole was performing on the standardized tests of my time. I question how I would perform on the standardized tests of today. Would I run out of time? Would I not be able to answer the same question asked in different ways? Perhaps the answer is yes. I bet a Harvard grad could successfully complete both those tasks.

It makes logical sense that to achieve a goal you have set forth for yourself, you need to plan from the last step to the first in order to be the most efficient and effective. I think of this in terms of an analogy where one is presented with the typical labyrinth puzzle on the page of a game book. You see where you are, and because of the aerial perspective, you also see exactly where you need to end up. In between is where the complications arise. There are twists and turns, tricks and dead ends, maybe even a Minotaur lurking behind the maze walls. When I approach this type of puzzle, I always start with the end and draw my pen (I don't allow myself the opportunity to make a mistake only to erase it and forget it never happened) back towards the start line. Why do I approach the maze like that? Well, for one, it cuts out all the nonsense that can trip you up on your way from the start to the end point. In order for the end to be reachable, there has to be one continuous open road that leads somewhat easily from where you began. It doesn't go smoothly 100% of the time, but this is a strategy that works.

I think of the starting point as where the teacher begins. The end point is where the teacher hopes to meet the student. The squiggly lines in between the beginning and the end, full of traps and scary monsters, is the path of student understanding that the teacher has to tread ever so lightly because one false move - JUST ONE! - is written in pen and will not be so easily erased from the student's mind. If you take a quick glimpse of the maze, it actually appears to look like a brain. Continuing to teach and plan from the first to last step will maintain poor results. Those 'dead ends' and 'scary monsters' will persevere unless we make some changes.

I consider myself to work in a pretty innovative school. We grab the bull by its horns on a regular basis; new grants, initiatives, changes, whatever is sent in our direction we infuse into our system immediately and practice it well. We have so much going on at any given time, I sometimes wonder how we do it all. Principals, assistant superintendents, supervisors, teachers and politicians are frequently a part of our school's visitor log. They come to see our exemplary work, only there is one problem: we are a failing school. I've worked there for almost three years, and each year we do not meet AYP (adequate yearly progress towards NCLB benchmarks). I assume that the ideas presented in Understanding by Design by Wiggins and McTighe are not brand new, considering the 2005 copyright. Why is it that this type of curriculum design has not been adopted by failing school districts, or all districts in the state or country? It actually seems like it would be less work for the teachers to follow along with this type of lesson planning for their state standards and distrcit curricula considering they would have only outlined certain important focuses for the student's performance instead of just covering the material for familiarization.

I don't remember where or when, but I do recall hearing a fact about how pupils in different countries are tested on performance instead of the American quintessential standardized test. They excel at their test scores abroad, and when presented with American testing, they score off the charts. Our students, on the other hand, struggle with our style of testing as it is and if presented to foreign performance based testing, they fall flat on their faces. It's time to make a move to a different style of teaching and student expectations in order to keep up with advancing countries around the world. I feel embarrassed to be considered part of a country's education system that perpetuates sub-par learners when an American diploma was once considered the peak of achievement. Currently, my district is debating a new lesson plan format and I feel that the one presented in Understanding by Design would be an easier and more effective alternative to having teacher's promote a style that works for them, not necessarily their students. The most important aspect of education is to keep in mind that what you do is not for you, it is for the student. Flexibility and openness to change is an essential attribute to today's instructors.