The backward design method has been touted as the forward-thinking method because it promotes intentional planning by the teacher to develop assessments and activities that help achieve the desired learning outcomes. This concept is student-centered and focuses on the learning process. It encourages the teacher to think about what the learners should achieve at the end of the lessons and how the activities and assessments will contribute to achieving the learning objectives. With that in mind, the teacher can select the most relevant material that will help the learners achieve the outlined learning objectives (Hall, 2018). This curriculum design method also promotes transparency and clarity. As the teacher shares the learning objectives with the learners, they become aware of what is expected of them. Backward design is also flexible and allows for introducing new teaching methods and tweaking of the existing ones to cater to any arising needs as determined by the teacher. This flexibility is vital in helping work towards achieving the intended learning objectives.
Furthermore, this method is integral in making learning multi-dimensional because it facilitates practicing the major aspects of understanding by students. These aspects include the ability to explain, interpret, and apply the knowledge learned. The students are also able to have perspective and gain self-knowledge about the lesson.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
One limitation of this method is that it assumes a relative level of understanding for all learners and ignores the possibility of the learners having the potential of going beyond the set learning objectives. This assumption prevents learners from reaching their real potential because they tend to work only towards achieving the objectives set by the teacher. This method also focuses more on the learning objectives and fails to address how the learners’ understanding can be enhanced. Generally, it is majorly result-oriented and pays less attention to whether the learners understand or not.
Reference
Hall, M. (2018). Using Backward Design for Course Planning . https://ii.library.jhu.edu/tag/backward-design/
