The Application of Backward Design in ESL Teaching

摘 要：Backward design is a method of designing educational curriculum by setting goals before choosing instructional methods and forms of assessments. Backward design challenges traditional methods of curriculum planning. This essay focuses on analyzing different aspects of backward design and points out how to apply it to ESL teaching.

P键词：backward design； ESL； curriculum； provocative；assessment

The idea of backward design comes from Wiggins & McTighe and suggests that learning experiences should be planned with the final assessment in mind. Backward design is a method of designing educational curriculum by setting goals before choosing instructional methods and forms of assessments. Backward design typically involves three stages： identify the results of desires（main ideas），determine acceptable levels of evidences that support the desired results，design activities that will make the desired results happen. By beginning with the end in mind， teachers are able to avoid the common problem of planning forward from the unit to another， only to find that in the end some students are prepared for the final assessment and others are not.

In the book Understanding by Design，Grand Wiggins and Jay McTighe call the process of designing courses around learning goals “the backward design process”. It’s not a revolutionary idea by any means， but Wiggins and McTighe illuminate the method and potentially radical implications of backward design in instructive ways.

1. Why does backward design make sense

“Too often teachers focus on the teaching and the learning.”We are often so concerned about teaching every little detail that we lose sight of the big picture and get lost in the chapters in the book. Teachers are comfortable displaying their knowledge， but a display of what we know doesn’t mean the student “learn” it. If they are not working and engaged， they are not learning. “We are coaches of their ability to play the game of performing with understanding， not tellers of our understanding to them on the sidelines.”The desired results， functions， need to be planned for. Planning learning experiences and instruction is the form of the lesson， such as the type of lesson plan， awareness of learning / teaching styles， and concretely use the information in the classroom through useful activities. Only you clearly know where you are headed， can you get directions to reach there.

2.How can ESL teachers unwittingly commit the “twin sins of design”

Teachers often concentrate on teaching everything and having the students participate in activities that don’t have any deep meaning. It’s “hands on without being minds on.” This most likely happens，because teachers are trying to cover material in the entire book and not pinpoint specific needs and how appropriate or urgent each idea is in the grand scheme of things.

3.Why can the three stages of backward design seem unnatural to ESL teachers

It is unnatural to plan this way at first， because teachers haven’t used enough assessment of where the students are on the spectrum of learning. And the assessment lets you know what material to concentrate on in order to achieve the clear definable goals of what students will master and demonstrate.Many teachers think this backward design method is unnatural，too. They still feel confused about how to plan language classes this way. For example， Wiggins and McTighe offer a three stage diagram of the backward design process that looks deceptively simple：identify desires results， determine acceptable evidence ， plan learning experiences. But as they parse out the details of each stage， it becomes clear that all three stages require deep reflection and continued self-awareness about both content and method. This need for attentiveness is evident in Wiggins and McTighe’s breakdown of the first stage. It’s not just that you identify desired results―― what you want your students to learn―― you also prioritize those desired results into three categories.

4.How essential questions are provocative in backward design

Essential questions are provocative because they request or arouse inquiry and they make students think， and are divergent. They create interest in a subject. They make students want to study more.Provocative essential questions are sparking and kindling for the fire. They “provoke” or create interest in a subject. They may be designed to develop discussion and learning about one subject， but could in essence speak to a number of subjects in one domain.

For example，“Is there life in space？” This is always a fascinating question when I was a child. Or，“How does the body keep us alive without us telling it what to do？” Both of these questions not only incite students to begin wondering and searching， but they also can be applied in many of the sciences， because there is no one correct answer. The fact that there is no one specific formula to answer these questions makes students create their own explanations through research， organization of facts， and creating their own explanations. And what’s great is that there is going to be a transfer of understanding that benefits the students and benefits other teachers of these students.

5.The importance of unpacking to standards-based curriculumdesign

To unpack the standards is to uncover the key ideas within the content and then develop essential questions that explore these ideas. Unpacking the standards is a method to organize information into a conceptual framework allowing for greater transfer. Teachers must unpack the standards before teaching the curriculum. So it can be put in terms of desired outcomes and essential questions.

To unpack the standards based on the curriculum presented is also to uncover a subject layer by layer， skill by skill. Based on Bloom’s Taxonomy， the teacher presents information， often in a Madeleine Hunter direct instruction approach and gives us the Knowledge （K） level. But the students do all the work as they move up the ladder of thinking skills by unpacking facts， concepts， and ideas through certain skills required to grasp the subject. These skills require the student to use the ideas-explain-contrast-compare-critique-analysis-and evaluate the relevance of the concept. Unpacking the standards is organizing information in amounts that can be digested and in ways that make it clear which skills to use and how to use them on a large scale. All of these skills are in the content standards set by the State.

Backward design challenges traditional methods of curriculum planning. The idea of backward design is to teach toward the “end point” or learning goals， which typically ensures that content taught remains focused and organized. It’s application go far and wide.

⒖嘉南祝

[1]Wiggins，G.，McTighe. J. Understanding by Design [M]. New Jersey： Prentice Hall，2001.

[2]（英）S. Pit Corder. 应用语言学导论[M].上海外国语学院外国语言文学研究所译.上海：上海教育出版社，1983.

[3]刘 丹.运用Backward Design设计教学，提高英语教学有效性[J].中小学外语教学，2012（1）.

（作者单位：文山学院外国语学院）