Week 2 Assignment #3: Understanding by Design

    After viewing the two videos, Understanding by Design with Grant Wiggins, helped me learn more about a practice I use often and never realized it, which is Backwards Design. Understanding by Design (UBD) is not a philosophy that we should follow, or an approach to learn, it is a planning frame work which helps us focus on short term and long term goals. By using this it can prepare you for the end product, where you will be able to anticipate student answers and questions.

    Having resources is an important tool when working backwards. Grant Wiggins would agree but  he will remind you that the textbook is not the course. This is important because it can be used as a tool to help guide you too your end goal, but books and resources do not know your end goal, so you should not use that solely as your lesson plan.

    I feel that as an artist/art teacher, we have been molded to start with the goal or end product, and work our way backwards determining what we need in order to accomplish the goal or end product. Grant Wiggins helped confirm this way of thinking by saying if you have a long term goal what follows? The things that follow are assessment and instruction. In the art making process this is slightly different, but in teaching art this is definitely how I think. I always try to figure out how I will assessing my students while they are in my class, to make sure they are on track to achieve the long term goal or end product (piece of art they make) that I have set for them. I have also read an article this past August about backwards design in the art room, which is when I realized I worked this way without knowing it. I am attaching the article here if you happen to be interested in it.

Overall I find backwards design is my way of planning lessons for my students, and my way of creating my artwork. I think everyone should try this way of planning because it helps you understand, breakdown and mold your lessons for your students.

https://theartofeducation.edu/2019/08/16/why-you-should-teach-your-lessons-in-reverse/