Backward Desing

To design is not a simple task. Working hard to do it, does not mean, neither guarantees an effective job either, especially when the objectives or final goals are not clearly set.

 Designing teaching lessons implies a thorough consideration of a huge variety of aspects and factors that takes the teachers from the mere process of teaching the contents of the different units from a textbook to a major purpose concerning final results that match with the learners´ goals and needs. A deep study regarding the appropriacy and meaningfulness of the text  must be done. For example, reading and understanding a text should not be the final goal for both the teacher and the learner, if the contents in the text do not appear to be important or relevant to be used in real situations.  After the learning process, students should be able to effectively produce, to use their knowledge thoughtfully according to required standards.

The Backward design suggests teachers to make a shift in their thinking about the nature of their job.  This means letting aside the old practice of assessing the meaningless activity oriented design and the aimless coverage approach that make the students march page by page through a textbook with no further significance.  Textbooks are to be considered and employed as a resource but not the syllabus. All this implies on one hand, a guiding role from teachers toward the students´ learning process,  and a change of methodology on the other.   Teachers should concentrate their attention on the results sought by answering questions about what the students must learn and how to do it to make it significant and useful. The learning strategies and activities have to be planned in order to develop and enrich the learners´ output.

The Backward design presents three stages:  Identity desired result, Determine acceptable evidence and  Plan learning experiences and instruction. Through the first stage we can clearly understand how important  priorities, regarding the learners´ needs are in the design process. The second stage describes  what and how to assess the learning process, what  and how to validate the knowledge that the learners could have attained. The third stage presents the different aspects regarding activities, strategies, procedures, principles, facts, resource materials, etc., to bear in mind in order to accomplish the process that effectively and successfully leads students to skills development and knowledge.  

To understand more the backward design and its three stages, a backward design template and a set of design standards for teachers are presented.   They clearly and explicitly drive educators to focus on the desired results and criteria to work the units of a textbook, in an understanding, meaningful, appropriate and durable way. Bob James, enhances these  ideas by describing his experience with backward design. When he got the templates into practice, he found how important was for him to consider what the students want and need to take away from the unit he was designing. Consequently, the assessment of  that unit was also based on the seek of evidence or any type of performance to demonstrate the achievement of the learners´ wants and needs. This implies the process of selection of resource materials and skills or competences that the learners have to develop in order to show meaningful understanding and learning.