By Nate Feldman
Listening to the podcast with Jay McTighe, who along with Grant Wiggins, came up with the term "Backward Design" to describe how teachers should plan their curricula really struck a chord with me. I especially like how he focuses so heavily on students being able to apply the knowledge they received in class in meaningful ways.
As discussed in the podcast, many standardized tests often give multiple choice questions, and with some test prep, students learn how to do well on these exams without a true in-depth knowledge of the material. That is why when I have taught subjects, I have tried to use a lot of creative activities to assess the students' understanding of the material.
For example, I have taught classes to international students where they must write an essay on a particular topic we are studying in class. The essay itself if an assessment of how well the students learned the material and how to construct an effective essay. However, often before they write the essay, I have them write a fictional story of some kind with partners where the theme of the class must be a part of the story. So, if the students have to write an essay about solving crime, they should write a story where there is a crime and someone solves it somehow. This measures to me how well they are truly grasping what they are learning in class. And, it is fun. McTighe refers to such things as "authentic tasks." They are authentic because they show the students genuinely understand the material.
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