whitney backwards assessment april 2008

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System is an Equal Opportunity employer and educator.

Backward Design—An Overview

© 1998 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe

Modified by Whitney G. Harris and Jason A. Cardinal, 2007

Objectives

• Review importance of Outcome-Based Approaches to our work

• Understand the Backward Design concept– Focus on outcomes

– Back to front

– Encouraging REAL understanding

• Understand it’s value

• Learn how to apply

© 1998 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe Modified by Whitney G. Harris and Jason A. Cardinal, 2007

Overview of Backward Design

IdentifyDesiredResults

DetermineAcceptableEvidence Plan Diversity/

Multicultural Experiences


Why “backward”?

• The stages are logical but they go against habits– We’re used to jumping to lesson and activity

ideas - before clarifying our performance goals for participants

– By thinking through the assessments upfront, we ensure greater alignment of our goals and means, and that teaching is focused on desired results


Value of going “backward”

• Outcome based – already doing

• Guide for being effective change agents

– Vision + sense of purpose to your work,

‘Results Oriented’ – Damon A. Williams

– Create real understanding,

Understand understanding

– Honor the history, theory, scholarship behind our work, Learn the Language, share


Value of going “backward”

• Bridge - curriculum design model• For Instructors and Teachers• Class experience…

– Directly applicable– Advantages: Real world, outcomes already

• ‘Ability to Cultivate a Common Vision’ – Williams

– Power, must resonate authentic and collaborate

• ‘To begin with the end in mind, start with clear vision of destination’ – Steven Covey

• Direction to your passion


1. Identify desired results

2. Determine acceptable evidence

3. Plan learning experiences

3 Stages of Design, elaborated


Stage 1 – Identify desired results.

•Key: Focus on Big ideas

– Enduring Understandings: What specific insights

about big ideas do we want participants to leave with?

– What essential questions will frame the

experience, pointing toward key issues and

ideas, and suggest meaningful and provocative inquiry into content?

– What should participants know and be able to do?

U

K

Q


Enduring Understanding, Establishing Priorities

Worth being familiar with

Important to know and do

“Enduring” understanding

Knowledge that is worth being familiar with…

Knowledge and skills that are important to know and do…

Understandings that are enduring…

Enduring Understanding

Important to know and do

Worth being familiar with


Understanding Understanding: The Six Facets of Understanding

• Explain

• Interpret

• Apply

• Perspective

• Empathize

• Self-Knowledge


•How this connects…

Self-Knowledge

Self-Knowledge: The Key to Understanding

• ‘All understanding is ultimately self-understanding… This requires… the fundamental suspension of our prejudices.’*

• What are the limits of my understanding? What are my blind spots? What do I misunderstand,

due to prejudice, habit, projections, etc.

• ‘Be introspective’ – Charles A. Gallagher - 10 Things You Can Do

To Improve Race Relations

* Gadamer, Truth and Method, 1994, p. 266© 1998 Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe Modified by Whitney G. Harris and Jason A. Cardinal, 2007

Desired results -

• Parallel in Bloom’s Taxonomy: Evaluation

Value decisions, judgements

• How this connects…– Highest levels of learning and understanding is our

work’s point of contact

– Ultimate goal: to make an impact, to create real understanding, to open minds

– Guides to how we shape our outcomes





3 Stages of Design: Stage 2


Assessment of Understanding

– Using the Facets of Understanding

– Considering a Range of Evidence

– Determining Possible Performances


Just because the participant “knows it” …

• Evidence of understanding is a greater challenge than evidence of knowledge– Understanding is inferred, not seen

– It can only be inferred if we see evidence

• Revealed in performance


Reliability: Snapshot vs. Photo Album

• We need patterns that overcome inherent measurement error– Sound assessment requires multiple

evidence over time - a photo album vs. a single snapshot


Continuum of Assessments

AcademicPrompts

Observations& Dialogues

Tests& Quizzes

InformalChecks

PerformancePerformanceTasksTasks

Evidence


Performance Tasks

• How this connects… Real-world

• Are ‘authentic’

• Unstructured

• Is realistic

• Requires judgment and innovation

• Explore and ‘do’ the work

• ‘Messy’ and ‘Noisy’ context


Activity #1 - Thinking like an assessor

Compare how an assessor thinks to the thinking of an activity planner

In your groups, read the questions on the cards and place each card into one of two categories:

1. Thinking like an ASSESSOR

2. Thinking like an ACTIVITY PLANNER


Assessor vs. Activity Designer

Thinking like an Assessor Thinking like an Activity Designer

What would be sufficient & revealing evidence of understanding?

What would be interesting & engaging activities on this topic?

What performance tasks must anchor the event?

What resources and materials are available on this topic?

How will I be able to distinguish between those who really understand and those who don’t (though they may seem to)?

What will participants do?

Against what criteria will I distinguish work?

How will the event be evaluated and justified to stakeholders?

What misunderstandings are likely? How will I check for those?

Did the event work? Why or why not?





& instruction

3 Stages of Design: Stage 3


Stage 3 big idea:

EFFECTIVE

and

ENGAGING


Taking a Closer Look at...

• Coverage

• vs.

• Uncoverage

• Misunderstanding and

• Misconceptions


Think of your obligations via W. H. E. R. E. T. O.

• “Where are we headed?” (the participant’s Q!)

• How will the participant be ‘hooked’?

• What opportunities will there be to be equipped, and to experience and explore key ideas?

• What will provide opportunities to rethink, rehearse, refine and revise?

• How will participants evaluate their work?

• How will the work be tailored to individual needs, interests, styles?

• How will the work be organized for maximal engagement and effectiveness?

WHE

E

R

L

TO


Case Study

• Use the Backward Design model to plan an activity that celebrates the sesquicentennial depicting a Minnesota immigrant population


Peer Review

• Consider….

• Strengths

• Areas needing improvement

• Feedback

• Questions?

Thank You


whitney backwards assessment april 2008

Technology

jay mctighe modified

desired results

big ideas

photo album

1998 grant wiggins

performance tasks

activity planner

design