1. Understanding By Design
Grant Wiggins
&
Jay McTighe

2. Backward Design Start with desired results (goals or standards)
Derive curriculum from
evidence of learning called for by the standard
teaching needed to equip students to perform
Wiggins & McTighe

4. Enduring Understandings
Represent a big idea having enduring value beyond classroom
Reside at the heart of the discipline
Require uncoverage (of abstract or often misunderstood ideas)
Offer potential for engaging students

5. Stage 1: Planning in 3 Stages
What is worthy and requiring of understanding?
What is evidence of understanding?
What learning experiences and teaching promote understanding, interest, and excellence?

6. The Learning Goals Enduring understandings
Essential or guiding questions
These go beyond facts and skills and focus on larger concepts, principles, or processes

7. Enduring Understandings
Two Levels
Overarching understandings (broad understandings that hopefully are achieved by end of year (or a few years)
Unit understandings (hopefully achieved through a learning sequence)

8. AP Physics Big Ideas
Big Idea 1 Objects and systems have properties such as mass, charge, and internal structure.
Big Idea 2 Fields existing in space can be used to explain interactions.
Big Idea 3 The interaction of an object with other objects can be described by forces which can cause a change of motion.

9. Physics Big Ideas 2
Big Idea 4 Interactions between systems can result in changes to those systems. Big Idea 5 The interaction of one object or system with another is governed by conservation laws. Big Idea 6 Some phenomena may be described as a wave. Big Idea 7 The evolution of complex systems over time is described by probability.

10. Big Idea 6 Enduring Understandings
How is a wave different from a particle?
6A: A periodic wave can be described by its amplitude, frequency, wavelength, phase difference, speed, and energy.
6B: Waves are not physical objects but can transfer energy and momentum.
6C: Only Waves exhibit interference & superposition.

11. How is a wave different from a particle
6D: Matter exhibits wave properties
6E  The direction of a light ray can be changed by interaction with a medium.
6F  Components of the electromagnetic spectra can be modeled as a wave or as a particle.
6G  Interference & superposition lead to standing waves & beats.

12. Stage 2: Evidence of Understanding?
Wiggins & McTighe describe “six facets of understanding.” Students truly understand when they
can explain
can interpret
can apply
have perspective
can empathise
have self-knowledge

13. Determining Acceptable Evidence
Plan range of assessments before planning learning experiences to develop understandings
The range of assessment tasks must
support students in developing understanding
give students opportunities to demonstrate understanding
identify and differentiate levels of understanding

14. Stage 3: Design Learning Experiences
The learning experiences should require the students to:
“…theorize, interpret, use, or see in perspective what they are asked to learn… (or) they will not likely understand it or grasp that their job is more than recall.”

15. Learning Experiences Experiences should blend depth and breadth
depth – requires students to unearth, analyze, question, prove, and generalize
breadth – requires students to make connections, picture or represent models, and to apply their understanding to new situations

16. Insert Title Here
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Physics ____ Lecture ___ Slide 16