UbD is a way of thinking purposefully about curricular planning and school reform. It offers a three-stage design process, a set of helpful design tools, and design of standards- not a rigid program or prescriptive recipe. The primary goal of UbD is student understanding- the ability to make meaning of ‘’big ideas’’ and to tranfer learning. .UbD unpacks and transforms content standards into the relevant Stage 1 elements and appropriate assessments in Stage 2. Understanding is revealed when students autonomously transfer their learning through authentic performance. Six facets of understanding – the capacities to explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, emphasize, and self- assess- serve as indicators of understanding. Teachers are coaches of understanding, not mere purveyors of content or activity. They design for and support meaning-making and transfer by the learner and they adjust to achieve intended results based on constant monitoring. Planning is best done backward from the desired results and the transfer tasks that embody the goals. The three stages must align for the unit to be most effective. Regular reviews of curriculum against design standards enhance curricular quality and effectiveness. UbD reflects a continous- improvement approach. The result of curriculum designs-student performance- informs needed adjustments
By: Ma. Avelina N. Villegas | Teacher I | Limay National High School | Limay, Bataan
