This week was a struggle. It felt that everything was just a repeat or too much theoretical jargon. In filling out the Stage 2 form, it just felt like a repeat of what was done on the previous week's form. I am either confused, tired at the end of the quarter, or suffering through too much education theory. I still feel the general premise of Understanding by Design is good. But I do feel that all of these steps and hoops to jump through are time consuming, repetitive, and a turn-off.
To try and put a positive spin on the week, I agree that the end result should be defined before a unit begins. If the culminating assessment is a test, the questions should be laid out at the beginning. If it is a project of some sort, the rubric should be created first. If it is an essay, the questions and rubric should be in place first. And so on and so on. I do reserve the right to make changes, as in class discussions can alter the final assessment. Careful attention should be given to all assessment creation, including the reliability and validity. Here is where the idea of teaching backwards comes in to play. It sounds and looks good, but it can take time.
To try and put a positive spin on the week, I agree that the end result should be defined before a unit begins. If the culminating assessment is a test, the questions should be laid out at the beginning. If it is a project of some sort, the rubric should be created first. If it is an essay, the questions and rubric should be in place first. And so on and so on. I do reserve the right to make changes, as in class discussions can alter the final assessment. Careful attention should be given to all assessment creation, including the reliability and validity. Here is where the idea of teaching backwards comes in to play. It sounds and looks good, but it can take time.