Understanding by Design: An Approach to Lesson Planning

A Part of Teacher Professional Certification Program

Introduction

This article is dedicated to one of the assignments from Teacher Professional Program. I’m writing this as a student of Universitas Galuh.

We, the students, were given a topic about lesson plan principle entitled “Understanding by Design” (also known as Backward Design).

This approach highlights seven points:

1. Clear learning objectives
2. Applicability into real life
3. Measurable comprehension (through explanation, analysis, application, perspective, empathize, or reflection)
4. Informs curriculum design
5. Ensures learning happens
6. Evaluative properties
7. Anchors continuous development

These points can be optimally implemented using the following step:

1. Determine the learning objectives
2. Design the assessment
3. Choose the activities

Analysis

This part discusses the implementation of the backward design in my previous lesson plans.

Historically speaking, the way I design my lesson have always been revolving around applicability. I focused on how a particular material is important for the students to learn and how can the students use the knowledge in real life situations. As an example, I taught “data analysis” to 8th grade students (previously I was Informatics teacher due to reasons) and how analyzing information they already have can help them in life.

I designed the materials in such a way that I proposed many questions to the students about the essence of Mathematics. This was done so that the students could be more aware of what can be done by simple math. Simple counting, data aggregation, and arithmatics. One of the example is to see how much something has progressed by using a simple division aritmatics. I told my students that communicating with raw numbers might distort how people perceive the main idea. Therefore, we use a standardized scale to perceive the progress of something.