This document discusses Understanding by Design (UbD), a framework for designing curriculum and assessments to improve student learning and understanding. UbD involves starting with the desired results or learning outcomes, then designing assessments to measure student understanding, and finally planning lessons and activities to help students achieve those outcomes. The key principles of UbD include clarifying learning expectations, using formative and summative assessments, engaging students in their learning, and focusing on continuous improvement. Examples are provided of how to design a group project using UbD principles and how to create rubrics to guide and evaluate student work. Resources for further information on UbD and assessment design are also listed.

1. Assess for Success
Understanding by Design in ELT
Sheri Henderson, MSc, OCT
TESL Ontario 2018 Conference
2 November 2018
Toronto Sheraton CentreToronto Hotel

3. Understanding by Design (1998)
GrantWiggins and Jay McTighe
With Jay McTighe, October 2015
Abu Dhabi Community School
1950 -26 May 2015

4. What is
Understanding
by Design?
A framework to improve
student achievement
➔ Aids student understanding
Knowledge, skills, abilities
➔ Authentic, performance-based
Guide students to the end goal
➔ Formative, reflective
Learning is an ongoing process
➔ Uses “Backward Planning”
Start with the end in mind

5. Think like an
Assessor
Design the assessment first,
then plan the path to success!
- Jay McTighe, October 2015

6. Why use
Understanding
by Design?
Teaching and learning for
understanding
➔ Clarifies expectations
For both teachers and learners; deeper
learning
➔ Rubrics
Tools – to guide and grade (formative,
summative, self/peer/teacher)
➔ Engages learners
Students take charge of their learning
➔ Assessment & Grading
Transparency = fewer grade complaints

7. UbD
because…
The primary purpose of
assessment is
to improve student learning.
Assessment for the purpose
of improving student
learning is seen as both
“assessment for learning”
and “assessment as
learning”.
– Ontario Ministry of Education, Growing Success, p. 28

8. How
does UbD
work?
Start with the end in mind
➔ Desired Result
What must students do/learn/produce?
➔ Evidence
How will learners demonstrate their level
of understanding?
➔ Learning & instructional
activities
What experiences and learning tasks will
support student achievement of the
desired result?

9. 3 STAGES OF BACKWARD DESIGN
Desired
Result
What students
will learn
Evidence
How they will
demonstrate
learning
Learning
Activities &
Instruction
Designed for
success
Understanding by Design, Ch.1:
https://www.fitnyc.edu/files/pdfs/Backward_design.pdf
Start with the end in mind

10. Understanding
by Design
in English
Language
Teaching
Supports learners
➔ Identifies required skills
What do I need to do?
➔ Explains performance
expectations
How can I demonstrate what I know?
➔ Reflective
Better teaching, better learning
➔ Stresses continuous
improvement
Practise, practise, play the game!

11. UbD: Essential Questions
What knowledge and skills
will students acquire?
What performance/product
constitutes evidence of this?
What activities, experiences
and lessons will lead to the
desired results and success?

12. Teach the terms
Teach the process
Watch learners flourish
Understanding by Design in ELT

13. Bulletin Board Task
Desired Result: Student SuccessTips
Evidence: Bulletin Board
Learning plan:
• Examine communicative purpose of bulletin
boards; conventions
• Identify topic/purpose/audience
• Start with individual slide task (formative)
• Design/display/present slides
• Self-select groups for bulletin board
• Research topic
• Design/display/present work

14. FormativeTasks:
- promote learning
through reflection
Pre-Bulletin BoardTask
Design one slide to recommend a
useful study tool, app or website;
display on college televisions, post
in LMS Discussion Board

15. “… students need multiple opportunities
to be tested on the same information.
A formative assessment does not look
backwards…it focuses on the present of
where the student is right now, it looks to
the future.”
- Grant Wiggins
Why bother with formative assessment?

17. Rubrics
• are NOT for every task!
• take time, and save time
• measure student performance against identified criteria
• make learners accountable – can reduce plagiarism
• used to guide and grade
• can reduce grade complaints

18. Whether holistic or analytic,
rubrics need:
Criteria
what students must do, produce, learn
(usually 4-6)
Levels of Achievement
how well they demonstrate learning
(usually 4)
Assessment
Criteria
Performance Levels/Descriptors*
A B C D and below
Exemplary Proficient Developing Beginning
Exceeding
Expectations
Meets
Expectations
Approaching
Expectations
Below
Expectations
*Organization will vary

19. Assessment Resources
➢ Growing Success. (2010). Ontario Ministry of Education. p. 28
Retrieved from
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/growSuccess.pdf
➢ Secondary ESL/ELD (2007). Ontario Ministry of Education. pp. 36-37.
Retrieved from
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/esl912currb.
pdf

20. UbD & Rubric Resources
➢ Jay McTighe & Associates - Resources http://jaymctighe.com/resources/websites/
➢ Authentic Education by Grant Wiggins.
https://www.authenticeducation.org/whoweare/grant.lasso
➢ Authentic Assessment Toolbox by Jon Mueller.
http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/rubrics.htm
➢ Rubrics at Edutopia. http://www.edutopia.org/blogs/tag/rubrics
➢ Assessment for learning https://iclba.language.ca/toc/
And the BEST site to find a rubric for anything:
➢ Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything. Assessment and Rubrics
http://www.schrockguide.net/assessment-and-rubrics.html

21. Rubric Resources for Higher Education
➢ Could Rubric-Based Grading Be the Assessment of the Future? By Katrina Schwartz in MindShift. Retrieved from
https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/10/14/could-rubric-based-grading-be-the-assessment-of-the-future/
➢ Carnegie Mellon University. https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/rubrics.html
➢ Centre forTeaching and Learning, Humber College.
http://www.humber.ca/centreforteachingandlearning/instructional-strategies/teaching-methods/course-
development-tools/creating-assignment-rubrics.html
➢ Cornell University, Center forTeaching Excellence. https://teaching.cornell.edu/teaching-resources/assessment-
evaluation/using-rubrics
➢ VALUE Rubrics from Association of American Colleges and Universities. https://www.aacu.org/value-rubrics
➢ VALUE Rubrics at UMassAmherst. https://www.umass.edu/oapa/tools-and-services/aacu-value-rubrics

22. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
What activities,
experiences and
lessons will lead to
the desired results
and success?
What knowledge
and skills will
students acquire?
What product
constitutes
evidence of this
learning?
To design for understanding, ask:

23. Assess for Success
Understanding by Design in ELT
Sheri Henderson, MSc, OCT
TESL Ontario 2018 Conference
1-2 November 2018
Toronto Sheraton CentreToronto Hotel