Abstract: This handbook examines what understanding is and how it differs from knowing, discussing how teachers can know that students truly understand and can apply their knowledge in meaningful ways and how courses and units might be designed to emphasize understanding and uncoverage rather than coverage. The handbook includes a planning template, worksheets, exercises, design tools, design standards and tests, and a peer-review process for learning and applying new ideas. Handbook materials show users how to plan curriculum, assessment, and instruction. An overview of understanding includes the first three modules: (1) "Clarifying Understanding," (2) "The Backward Design Process," and (3) "The Understanding by Design Template." Stage 1, "Identify Desired Results," includes (4) "Identifying Enduring Understandings," (5) "From Topics and Skills to Understandings," and (6) "Framing Units around Essential Questions." Stage 2, "Determine Acceptable Evidence," includes (7) "Evidence of Understanding," (8) "Transforming Understandings into Performances," (9) "Designing Performance Tasks," (10) "Designing Scoring Rubrics," and (11) "Anchoring Unit Designs." Stage 3, "Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction," includes (12) "Engaging and Effective Design," (13) "Uncoverage," (14) "Misunderstanding," (15) "Where," (16) "Questions to Guide Teaching," (17) "Teaching Approaches," (18) "A Story Structure for Curriculum Design," and (19) "Curriculum as Task Analysis." A section entitled "Testing and Peer Review" includes (20) "Testing Designs Against Standards" and (21) "Peer Review." (SM)

Title: The Understanding by Design Handbook.
Author: McTighe, Jay; Wiggins, Grant
Publication Year: 1999
Document Type: Guides--non-classroom (055)
Target Audience: Practitioners and Teachers
ERIC Identifier: ED431760
Clearinghouse Identifier: SP038628
Available from: EDRS Price MF01 Plus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS.
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Descriptors: * Comprehension; * Curriculum Development; Elementary Secondary Education; Evaluation Methods; * Knowledge Level; Lesson Plans; Peer Evaluation; Planning; Student Evaluation