Educators as learners would seem like an easy, natural, and perfectly aligned fit.  However, I am learning so much about the art and craft of being an educator that points out how often we get wrapped up in covering content or creating engaging activities, that sometimes the meaningful design work gets overlooked.  Designing engaging activities is easy and fun.  Designing engaging activities that are purpose driven toward a specified goal is a bigger challenge.  Add an assessment that truly demonstrates whether or not that goal was met and now we are really digging into the design work that should be happening all the time. 

 

          As I have read through Understanding By Design, I recognize terms and ideas that have been presented at countless professional developments.  I know for certain that I have fallen victim to knowing that backward design makes sense and unpacking standards to understand the "big ideas and core tasks" (Wiggins and McTighe, 2006, p. 62) is crucial to meaningful lesson design, but then time marches on, new members of the team arrive, and we all get caught up in just doing what we have always done without revisiting the starting point.  Sometimes the initial design work was done well, but without regularly revisiting and sharing the why and how behind that design work, as well as improving the design work, connections can be lost.  Sometimes the design work was done poorly and on occasion, not at all.  

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          Although I have had numerous exposures to backwards design, I am realizing that I am soaking it in now as a learner on a much deeper level.  I'm moving from knowing to truly understanding.  Recently, I was tasked with looking at my innovation plan and creating my BHAG and 3 Column Table that set big goals, identified how to assess mastery of those goals and what activities would support the goals.  Now, I have also used the understanding by design (UbD) template to build out part of a course that would support the implementation of my innovation plan.  Why just part?  That is because my BHAG was just that...big.  Too big for the UbD template.  I'm seeing how both the BHAG and UbD template begin with establishing goals and work backwards to eventually plan activities and authentic learning opportunities.  This is not to be confused with reading the TEKS, writing a multiple choice test and then planning several activities. 

 

           The BHAG and UbD template seem to work well in tandem.  The BHAG sets the stage for an overarching outcome and then allows for a few mini goals that support the larger outcome.  The UbD template allows a designer to look at the mini goals and determine how they work together, build on each other and/or weave together.  I'd have to work through the UbD stages many times over to get to all the mini goals and connections that are part of my BHAG.  Because we are houseful of little bakers and chefs, I've come to think of the BHAG a whole cake made up of supporting layers.  The UbD template looks at the layers and the different ingredients and flavors that make up the layers.  The BHAG cake can be stacked up a variety of ways depending on the vision/goal of the baker.  

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          Now that I have really dug in to the BHAG and UbD template, what does that mean for my learning?  How will it change what I do in the future?  In my learning philosophy, I discuss the experiential component of learning.  In order to really internalize my learning, I need to do it, live it, and  use it.  Having the opportunity to really do the design work coupled with the ability to edit and improve the design work is vital to ensuring that my own learning is applied to future design work.  The feedback and revision process are integral in making sure the design work is fine tuned and adjusted to meet the needs of the learners.  As an educator, I must utilize feedback provided to me as a learner that will in turn, result in deeper and more meaningful design work that should improve my role as an educator.  Educators as learners is an easy, natural, and perfectly aligned fit when we begin with the end.  Knowing the goal drives the assessment, the activities, and our own learning that must be done to ensure that we are prepared to be facilitators of learning and understanding our why.

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