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"To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you are going so that you better understand where you are now so that the steps you take are always in the right direction" --Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

                                                                                                                                                                               Adapted from Wiggins and McTighe 1998                                                                                                                                                                                   Graphic produced at www.gliffy.com

Planning with the end in mind has been popularized in recent years through the work of Wiggins and McTighe. However, as they note, starting the planning process with the desired results in mind is hardly a new concept. They consider this approach to be 'backward' because many teachers begin with "textbooks, favored lessons and time-honored activities" (p.8). Where do you typically begin when you are planning your lessons?

Wiggins and McTighe primarily consider the Backward Design approach with curriculum design in mind, but it is also useful to think about lesson plans with desired results in mind. This page provides an overview of the Backward Design process, but you may wish to read on first to familiarize yourself with some of the language.

For many teachers, the desired results of a lesson are expressed through learning objectives or learning outcomes. Once you know what you would like to achieve, then it is important to be able to identify when you have achieved it. The next step in the backwards design process, then, is to consider how to 'determine acceptable evidence' that the students have met the desired results. Simply put, how can we know that the students have achieved the objectives of the lesson? An answer, through some kind of assessment.

Many of us find that considering assessment explicitly for every lesson is prohibitive, time-consuming, and perhaps a little ridiculous. However, assessment may range from informal checks of understanding to quizzes or presentations, and we typically look for signs of understanding or improvement among our students. The backward design method encourages us to at least think about the ways that we determine students are learning in our classes. As we have the time now, let's ask ourselves the question, how do we determine students are learning in our lessons? 

After assessment has been considered, the final step of the backwards design process is to plan the experiences and instruction. This is where we select the appropriate activities and resources. The essential question that we must ask ourselves when we consider utilizing a web tool is: Will the associated activities allow the students to meet the learning objectives that we have in mind? In other words, it is not the web tool that should drive the class, but what we would like our students to achieve by the end of the lesson or as part of the larger program of study. Agree? Disagree? Have comments. We would love to hear from you. ----The Enhancing Lessons Team

Identify desired results.		What should students know, understand, and be able to do? What is worthy of understanding? What enduring understandings are desired? Consider goals Examine content standards (district, state & nat.) Review rubric Expectations Teacher/students interests
Determine acceptable evidence.		How will we know if students have achieved the desired results and met the standards? What will we accept as evidence of student understanding and proficiency? Consider a range of assessment methods – informal and formal assessments during a unit Think like assessors before designing specific units and lessons to determine how/whether students have attained desired understandings
Plan learning experiences and instruction.		What enabling knowledge (facts, concepts, and principles) and skills( procedures) will students need to perform effectively and achieve desired results? What activities will equip students with the needed knowledge and skills? What will need to be taught and coached, and how should it best be taught in light of performance goals? What materials and resources are best suited to accomplish these goals? Is the overall design coherent and effective?

Retrieved from 'Digital Literacy: Backward Design Process'. December 27, 2008.

Wiggins, G. and McTighe, J. Understanding by Design. ASCD. Alexandria: VA, 1998.