Developing Big Ideas to Create

Understanding.

Based on Understanding by Design

Wiggins & McTighe (2005)

Understanding by Design Wiggins & McTighe

Is sometimes called Backward Design

3. Plan Instruction to help them get there.

2. Determine Evidence of

Understanding

1. Identify Desired Results

Lesson Planning Begins with the Big Idea

• BIG Idea and Essential Questions

1. What is the understanding we want to share?

• What kind of assessments determine student understanding?

2. How will we know if students are getting it?

• What do we want students to do, say, apply, make, explain ?

3. How do we get students there?

The core of curriculum should be

the Big IdeaActivities

Questions

Assessment

BIG IDEA

Big Ideas are about Broad Human Issues

Examples of Big Ideas Life cycles

Reverence for life

Aging

Power

Community

Family

Idealism

Spirituality

Uncertainty

Human diversity

Social norms

Criteria for Essential QuestionsQuestions Should:

Reflect conceptual priorities

Be distinct and substantial

Be broad and umbrella like

Not be repetitious

Be realistic, logical and in simple English

6 Facets Frame the Assessments for Understanding

Explanation

Most subject areas cover these three.

Understanding

Application

Interpretation

Art thinking offers opportunities to grow in these areas.

Empathy

Perspective

Self-Awareness

Identify Tasks which demonstrate these Assessments of Understanding

in Art Curriculum

Explanation

Application

Interpretation

Perspective-Seeing from different view points

Empathy/Empatique(Fr)-Understanding thru art

Self-Knowledge- Building self awareness

Consider Assessments that demonstrate understandingStudents will Construct

Collaborate

Select

Modify

Create

Plan

Employ

Formulate

Design

Students can envision positive change

And Finally Design TASKS! also referred to as activities!

Look at and Discuss Artwork

Meet an Artist

Find Beauty, Concepts

Share on-line Galleries

Make your own materials

Use free technologies

All the better to understand something bigger that the both of us!