AISSA “Down the Track” Seminar April 7-8, 2011 Backward Mapping: curriculum planning for aligning pedagogy and assessment Dr. Katie Weir

Backward mapping: origins Backward Mapping (Weir, 2009) What do you value? What do you want students to demonstrate as a result of their learning? How are you going to get them there? How is assessment going to be incorporated into your pedagogy? Backward Design (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998) Identify desired results  Determine Acceptable Evidence  Plan learning experiences and instruction

Backward Mapping Outline ASSESSMENT TASK + GRADING TOOL (= learning goals) ↓ LEARNING EPISODES (pedagogical activities that create optimal conditions for students to undertake assessment) ↕ (In)FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT (gathering evidence of learning progress at key junctures)

An Example: Planning for “Down the Track” Seminar 1. What do I want participants to learn? 2. How am I going to obtain evidence of participants’ understanding?  A new approach to curriculum planning and its implications; how to design quality assessment tasks  Participants will create a unit/theme/topic plan based on the principles of backward mapping

An example (cont’d) 3. What learning activities do participants need to engage in so they can create their own curriculum plans? Design Quality Assessment Tasks Create a task sheet + grading tool For a unit/theme/topic Design Learning Experiences that align with the assessment task And incorporate - big ideas/questions - literacy demands - TfEL strategies - student diversity Understand and apply the principles of Assessment FOR learning

An example (cont’d) 4. What formative assessment strategies can I implement to ensure participants are progressing towards the desired learning goals?  Look for evidence of (mis)understanding through group discussions about expectations of the seminar  Informal feedback through conversations as participants work on designing their plans  WIP – participants present ideas for plan end Day 1  Participant feedback

Why do it? When teachers plan (preferably together) and apply the principles of backward mapping, they are enabling the following conditions:  Alignment between curriculum, pedagogy and assessment  Consistency of curriculum delivery and teacher evaluation of student work  Accountability for learning, teaching and to the SACSA (DECS) and ACARA (standards-based) frameworks  Connecting the learning to students’ everyday lives  Inclusive classrooms  Professional learning communities and confident teachers

SESSION OVERVIEW Today: Introduction to Backward Mapping Authentic Assessment: Designing Quality Assessment Tasks Before you go: Present WIP/ideas to group

SESSION OVERVIEW Tomorrow (Friday): Aligning assessment and curriculum New ideas on marking rubrics Continue working on plans Aligning assessment and pedagogy Designing learning for optimal performance Before you go: Discuss implications for schools, staffrooms and classrooms Present rough draft of plans Complete feedback forms.