How can you overcome challenges when using backward design for curriculum development?

Yes, I agree with the thought, works behind the backward design. Even, this is the right approach to design a curriculum. Designing a curriculum keeping in view the outcome, helps us to set the appropriate structure of a course. It helps to maintain the track of the courses and poses the realistic approach in attaining the outcome designed. Teaching and learning of such courses become quite easier, focused and Joyful because it paves the rectilinear pathway for both, teachers and students as well.

Backward design is more of an 'outside in' approach when you start with 'student based outcomes' rather than an instructor driven focus. It makes the content more engaging for the student. I try to analyze the kind of careers that students in my class are envisioning and try to tailor my instruction so that it has some practical usage as well. For example, computer science majors taking Biology don't need indepth coverage of the material but students considering a PhD in Cell Biology will need detailed instruction.

As a work through management perspectives I found the “fishbone analysis” / “solution tree” / “mind map” helpful, using these as a way to work backwards. This thinking enhances a visual logical link to what the students need to learn towards a learning objective or competence goal.

When you plan any goal in education you will be tempted to charge forward, driven by enthusiasm for your topic. Success requires strategy though, not just culture and motivation. Backwards design benefits us all because it makes a strategy for any goal you want. It's not about the topics but about the outcome – where you want your troops (students) to end up. Picture this: rather than a barrage of information and the hope it sticks, you focus on the target – the essential skills and knowledge students need. From there, you map out the route back to the start. This ensures each step you take possesses a purpose. You plan for success with backwards design. The benefits are clear. Backward design is not just an approach; it's an ethos.

What is it that the target learners need to know and how is that demonstrated? Learning outcomes and performance criteria should distill the learner journey into a roadmap of accessible sentences for stakeholders. At the national curriculum development level we benchmark against the outcomes contained in international frameworks and national occupation standards to develop new subject frameworks and the resources necessary to facilitate achievement. To be truly effective, standards must be explicit and unambiguous to support creating assessments which measure progress successfully. Educators also need to be skilled in interpreting them accurately and designing authentic, diverse and rigorous teaching and learning materials and assessments.

Education should always be child centric. So for any Teaching- Learning method to be effective, firstly individual plans (IP) should be created for each child based on their strengths & weaknesses. In a backward design plan the focus needs to be on the weaknesses of the student. Children will always be able to build on their strengths and move forward. Its the weaknesses that pull them down. Once that is addressed the child will learn to tackle everything with confidence.

The most effective use of backward design in the classroom is to use it to plan for the whole year by starting with the yearly standards. With the Common Core, for example, there's ample opportunity to teach multiple standards at once by identifying their similar learning target skills. Standards can be organized into quarterly units and teachers can plan backward from there. This benefits teachers and students by proactively mapping out the learning goals for the year and making sure they will all be taught by year's end. Bloom's Taxonomy would be used to define daily learning objectives based on the larger standards.

When preparing for an exam, for example, the teacher should go through the methodology of the exam with the students. This has proved to help students to take an active part of the process and to grow their motivation in respecting deadlines, because they have all the necessary tools to understand what and when is expected of them.

For me the easiest outcomes for my AP classes are illustrated by the Course and Exam Descriptions and Illustrative Examples from the College Board. Combined with past exams and past exam rubrics for free response questions they provide the best outcome summary. My non AP classes take more work. I both think about what students need for higher level or AP classes but I also think about what my students will need to survive, and thrive, when they travel overseas to college. This helps provide clarity for me because I look at college syllabi and course descriptions as well as AP courses. I like to talk about these documents and test content early because for my audience they feel that I will not waste their time. They won't waste mine then.

The first step in backward design is pinpointing clear and specific learning outcomes – what students should know, understand, and do. These outcomes need to be measurable, aligned with standards, and crafted using precise verbs. Involving learners in defining outcomes boosts engagement. To stay focused, ensure learning objectives are clear, specific, and measurable, avoiding vague or broad targets that create confusion.

Learning expectations should be posted and discussed with students. Examples of what the expectations look like are also helpful to post, when possible, so students can use them as a reference. When considering assessments, start by clearly defining (and refining as necessary) the skills students should be able to do and ask yourself what that looks like in action. How will you know they've made progress or mastered each skill? This will help you determine the right assessments.

Aligning assessments with learning outcomes means ensuring that the assessment criteria reflect the specific skills and knowledge you want students to demonstrate. Criterion-referenced assessments focus on what students can do, rather than comparing them to their peers. Whenever possible, incorporate authentic assessments that mimic real-world tasks or situations. These assessments require students to apply their learning in practical contexts, fostering deeper understanding and critical thinking. As you plan assessments, remain open to adaptation based on the evolving needs of your students. Regularly reflect on the effectiveness of assessment methods and adjust as needed.

I assess my students' outcomes in AP classes with official multiple choice questions, free response questions, and rubrics from the College Board. I do this to be clear with students about what they will encounter but also so that my personal affection and bias will not skew the results. I lay results out by topic, unit, and multi-unit mock exam scenarios. These questions all match the outcomes whereas third party questions or my own self-written questions may not, so I use those for more formative assessments. I explain how I grade before the class even starts so there will not be confusion. Students and parents talk too.

One thing I found useful is being a reflective practioneer aids me in using standardized diagnostic tests in identifying strengths and weaknesses and guide the directions of planning instructions to suit all learners styles.

Students teach you how to teach them. Besides a great planning, being receptive to students feedback enhances the teaching process. Although sometimes it might get closer to non-linear learning, this theaching style covers a lot of ground and keeps students motivated.

When students come to a topic with some prior knowledge... having read an article having contextualised it in their place of working... then teaching becomes collaborative, becomes innovative and challenges rhe norms.

I teach with a touch of background information, flipped content, as much in class time as possible for practice and feedback, and content/outlines and some extra practice (not graded for accuracy) at home. This works broadly well to ensure that I can work backwards with skills through all the background topics.

But students are very unpredictable and curious. Because I love that energetic feature of a motivated class, I keep their curiousity engaged and I either encourage them to do a research on the subject of their interest for a future meeting. I also keep a track of their question, by assigning a separate space, a question section, in their notebooks and on the board, where we write all their questions that will be addressed at some point, later, maybe during a lesson dedicated to consolidation.

Set aside dedicated time for curriculum planning well in advance. By integrating this planning time into your schedule, you can avoid the pressure of last-minute preparations. It helps to break down the curriculum development process into manageable chunks. Plan your curriculum in smaller units, allowing you to focus on one piece at a time. You can also allocate specific time blocks for each phase of the backward design process. This prevents overcommitting to any one aspect and helps you maintain a balanced approach.

I find that the creation of a calendar, right after your school's academic calendar is released, allows one to divide their units of instruction backwards appropriately and then you can adjust as needed during the year.

Consider viewing time not just as a constraint but as an investment. While backward design may require more initial planning and reflection, it often leads to more efficient and effective teaching in the long run. By investing time upfront to create well-aligned and focused learning outcomes, assessments, and instructional materials, educators can potentially save time during the implementation phase. Clear objectives and well-planned activities can lead to smoother classroom experiences, fewer interruptions, and less time spent reteaching to address confusion or misunderstandings.

As a starting point, ensure that your learning outcomes are clearly defined and aligned with your objectives. This will guide your decisions on what content is truly essential to achieve those outcomes. Then distinguish between core content that directly supports your learning outcomes and enrichment content that can enhance students' understanding but is not directly tied to the main objectives. Finally, engage in reflective practices and gather feedback from students about the content's relevance and impact. This insight can guide decisions on what content to retain, adjust, or remove.

Knowing your objectives is important but so is knowing your learners. Can you relate the content to their lives? Is it something you can offer for them to explore on their own if it interests them? The "extra" content can spark curiosity in learners and help them engage in their learning. Asking questions directly to learners about how their interests relate to the content is another option.

Curriculums should always focus on the student needs and be design for improving the students overall experience. This type of planning should allow the educator to carefully consider components.

From my previous experience in industry before being a teacher and after, most businesses use this type of approach, what out come do we want? Work back from there. Dr. Phil Bassett was the one who originally showed me this concept related to teaching and it just made so much sense. We get so tied up week to week day to day that we often miss the bid picture.