Understanding by Design: Professional Development Workbook (Paperback)

by Jay McTighe (Author), Grant Wiggins (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Understanding by Design Professional Development Workbook extends the ideas presented in Understanding by Design (UbD) by focusing on professional development and the practical matters of curriculum design. The Workbook is a guide for Understanding by Design workshops and undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as further independent exploration. It provides a valuable resource to educators in developing curricula and assessments with a focus on developing and deepening students’ understanding of important ideas.

The Workbook contains the following materials to support your professional development and application of the ideas within Understanding by Design:
Design Templates--planning organizers based on the three stages of backward design for use in developing a unit or course. One-, two-, and six-page versions of the UbD templates are provided.
Design Standards--criteria for reviewing curricular designs as a means of continuous improvement. The UbD standards guide self-assessment and peer reviews, whereby colleagues provide feedback and guidance on each other’s designs.
Exercises and Process Tools--thought-provoking workshop activities for developing and deepening participants’ understanding of the key ideas of UbD. A set of review and reflection tools is included.
Design Tools--a variety of graphic organizers and worksheets are included to assist designers in each stage of backward design.
Samples--multiple examples from diverse subject areas and levels illustrate the various elements of understanding-based designs.
Glossary--definitions of key terms.

Preservice and inservice teachers, college professors, school-based administrators, curriculum directors, subject-matter specialists, staff developers, and personnel involved in assessment and evaluation can benefit from these practical and proven ideas and resources.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Deve; Workbook edition (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871208555
• ISBN-13: 978-0871208552
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,297 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential to Understanding Understanding (that's no typo), July 21, 2003

By	Jennifer Kinscy "Teacher/Writer" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Understanding by Design Handbook (Spiral-bound)

In order for us as educators to effectively assess our students, we must decipher how our students learn and understand.

That's essentially what McTighe and Wiggins help us do here. I also bought their textbook for a course I took in Assessment. It was fascinating.

This book, along with the textbook is very useful in Unit Planning and shows its readers how to effectively use the "backward design" technique. Teachers, I can only describe the technique as assessment the way WE think it should be.

This handbook is a step-by-step guide with tons of reproducibles.

Very useful find for planning the school year!

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource, August 6, 2004

By	Christopher Davis (Flint, MI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Understanding by Design Handbook (Spiral-bound)

One of my pet peeves is books on applied topics that talk about theory but can not bridge the theory to application. This handbook does a great job of assisting educators from going from the ideas of backward instructional design to implementing these ideas in actually developing educational plans.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Focused Book on Education that I've Read!, August 14, 2004

By	R. Rowe (Arlington, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Understanding by Design Handbook (Spiral-bound)

I'm re-reading this fabulous resource as I start my fifth year of teaching since it keeps me focused on what I'm teaching and how to most appropriately assess how my students can apply their knowledge. The details and worksheets in this workbook help me put the book into practice day to day. Thanks Jay.