Backward Design

If we reflect on students as clients where all the work of curriculum and instructional design results in the client achieving their desired learning, then beginning with that outcome makes sense. Just as any type of designer has to visualize the end product in the context of the client, good instructional design leads to the goals through thoughtful purpose, activities and achievement.

In other words, the lessons taught are inferred from the results sought and derived backwards.  Not withstanding the discussion about "understanding" in our class, it is understanding that is the focus of good design rather than information.  A content-focus asks "what shall we teach?" rather than "what needs to be learned and why?"  The "twin sins" of  activities as learning and coverage - both miss the mindful engagement related to desired performance. The lessons simply may not meet the goals.

Designers start with the priority learnings (the goals), how achievement will be measured and what it looks like to achieve the goals.  The three stages of this backward design are: 1) Identify the desired results, 2) determine the acceptable evidence of achievement, and 3) plan the learning experiences and instruction. Stage 1 examines the content standards and curriculum expectations and clarifies the purpose and then before moving to design, in stage 2, asks the question, what assessment will validate that the learning has taken place?  Stage 3 is now possible - with clear results identified, a designer can select the appropriate knowledge, skills, activities, and teaching methods. 

I found it interesting that over 60 years ago it was recognized that "Educational objectives become the criteria by which materials are selected, content is outlined, intstructional procedures are developed..." (Tyler, 1949) What is presented in the article is a process for successful backward design. I used the template for the ADDIE project and found it to be surprisingly helpful (once I had spent the time moving through it), so I agree that it provides an overall guide and framework.  The design standards were useful for quality control and could be used for peer review or to examine existing curriculum

Reading through the "Backward design in action with Bob James" helped congeal the steps outlined in the article and reinforced that the "intelligent" tools presented really are a guide through a process that is not at all linear or step-by-step, rather is iterative and back and forth, but results in a product that facilitates effective learning.