Backward Design

The term backward design refers to an approach to schooling, both at the system level and classroom level, predicated on a tight focus on achieving predetermined mission-related goals. Backward design for education was largely created and popularized by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe as an alternative to traditional design approaches wherein teachers typically began with content (such as textbooks, novels, or standards) and then created instruction around the ideas or questions that arose from selected materials. The backward design approach asks teachers and school leaders to determine skills, ideas, understandings, and dispositions most critical for students and then build learning experiences that ensure those outcomes. This entry discusses the application of backward design to curriculum design, schools and school systems, system-wide programming, and evaluation.

Although its applications are varied, backward design theory and technique is most typically used by teachers to develop lesson and unit plans and by educational leaders to improve system- or building-wide curricula. The most foundational principle of backward design is that educators must allow their work to be guided by jointly established goals (either for student understanding or for school/district improvement) and assessed using authentic performance assessments that generate acceptable evidence. The popularity of backward design increased dramatically through the first decade or so of the 21st century and it is commonly taught as part of educator preparation programs. Backward design is a valuable framework for educational evaluation, as it helps to operationalize key variables involved in school, program, or curriculum design.