Chapter 10 Teaching for Understanding

When planning to teach their lessons in backwards design teachers need to keep the following in mind: Do what works in Stage 3 top reach results from stage one. This will help the teacher keep on track to uncover understandings for the unit, and not teaching just to cover content. When teachers have this understood they then need to pick methods that can help their students understand understandings. To do this teachers should create experiences for their students to actually have using the content.  When students have experience with understandings it is easier to activate learning.

Teachers need to consider when lesson planning is how the text book is used in class. Textbooks are often used as the backbone of a course, but teachers should not be using them like this. Textbooks normally focus on teaching the facts and not actually focus on understanding the facts. In backward design teachers need to use the textbook as a resource to help them teach the understandings and goal of the unit. To use backwards design successfully, teachers need to break the habit of relying on the textbook, and start using it to support their teaching.

Teachers can use different methods of instruction: Direct instruction, facilitative methods, and coaching. They all play a part in lesson planning. To use each method successfully teachers need to look at their understandings and check to see which knowledge is best used with which type of method.

After reading this chapter, I am reminded that I need to focus on giving my students experiences with the knowledge and understandings in order for them to successfully learn them. I often just teach content and do not give students an opportunity to manipulate the content and question it. The charts organizing the types of instructional methods will greatly help when I am organizing my future lessons and deciding how to teach.