Sometimes, the assessments do not match the learning goals, and it becomes a frustrating experience for students and instructors. Use the list below to help brainstorm assessment methods for the learning goals of the course.
What do you do as a teacher if the best way to assess a learning goal is different from how a state test would assess the learning goal? Do you include both styles on an assessment even if you know that one of them will confuse the students? -AG
Our lessons, units, and courses should be logically inferred from the results sought, not derived from the methods, books, and activities with which we are most comfortable.
I like that this is the result of backward design, as it puts a focus back on student learning and pushes teachers to think about what is best for delivering content versus what they may be used to doing for a unit. -AG
The backward design framework suggests that instructors should consider these overarching learning goals and how students will be assessed prior to consideration of how to teach the content
I agree that following a backward design is very smart and ensures that lesson activities are being designed to be the most effective way to teach lesson goals. With this is mind though it reminds of the phrase "teaching to the test" which has been frowned upon in the community in the past because of the lack of differentiated learning being implemented into teaching. I suppose I would like to see an emphasis placed on creating fair assessments and lessons that work for all students in backwards design like we hear about in traditional forward designing. -AG.