Understanding by Design Chapter 1: Backward Design

              Design is not an easy work,as teachers, we are constantly designing, planning and preparing our work,which is focus on our students.As designers, we have to be involved of our audience, that is to say, the students.When we design, we have to consider the diverse student interests,developmental level,large classes and previous achievements must always shape our thinking about the learning activities, assignments and assessments. As teachers we cannot teach what we want just because it is our choice. We have to follow some instututional standars or the national curriculum.In both cases, it is supposed to know what the students need, should know and be able to do.
               According to Grant Wiggins and Jay Mc Tighe in Understanding by Design, there are three -stage approach to planning, they call them "backward design".
First; Identify desired results: What students should know,be able to do and understand. I this stage we have to consider our purpose or objective, and what  we can really do during that period.
Second; determine acceptable evidence: In this stage we have to know if students have achieved the desired results, we need to have evidence that it works and it can be apply to our students.
Third; Plan learning experiences and instruction: In this stage, when we have the evidence and we have already  identified the results, now we can think in the most appropiate instructional activity.
               Finally as a  conclusion,desing is not easy, we have to pay attention  to many things before planning,we have to be clear in what to teach and how to teach it,knowing the three stage that I explain before,and obviously there is no just one way to do it, it always depends on our students.


Marcela.