Teach Students to Plan in Reverse, Study Suggests :: Start at the End :: TRAMS

Teach Students to Plan in Reverse, Study Suggests

EdWeek: 5.29.2018 by Brenda Iasevoli

Common sense says making a plan is a good way to reach a goal. But how do you go about making a plan? Starting from the finish and working backward gets the best results, a new study suggests.

Some people make a plan of attack in chronological order. They note the steps they'll take first, next, and so on. Students preparing for a big exam might plan to do some reading at the outset, then list a bunch of other tasks to accomplish and end with a final review of their notes before the big test. Other people plan backward, starting with a visualization of the end goal—passing the test—then tracing in reverse the steps they would take to get there. According to the research, these backward planners are more likely to stay motivated and accomplish their goal than those who plan from the starting point.

"The interesting aspect of our study is that we studied how people construct plans," co-author William Hedgcock of the University of Iowa told Education Week. "Prior research has shown that planning affects goal pursuit. We showed how they plan—forward or backward—affects goal pursuit."

Why do backward planners stay motivated longer than forward planners? Forward planners start too far from the finish line, projecting problems in the way of their goal. But backward planners imagine overcoming potential obstacles ahead of time. This relieves the pressure of trying to complete a project on a deadline. "We found backward planning helped people think about the intermediate steps more clearly," Hedgcock said.  READ MORE >>

Backward Design

Start at the End: Backwards Design

sis4teachers: 11.04.16

Usually the beginning is a good place to start, but not necessarily when lesson planning!

The idea of backwards design first came about in 1947, but was popularized by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe when they published their book Understanding by Design in the 1990s. Backwards design means that teachers develop instructional experiences and activities based on the educational goals for students at the end of a particular lesson or unit. This strategy is something that we use with schools involved in our Math Initiative Workshop project, and we are seeing great success in classrooms across the country.

An important thing to remember when applying the backwards design method to your lesson planning is that we are trying to break away from the “one size fits all” mentality that typically comes from a textbook. Backwards design allows you to differentiate for your individual students and meet them where they are, instead of where the textbook says they should be.

As you begin, start thinking about the goals and expectations, the “big ideas” for this lesson. What should students know, understand and be able to do? Remember to incorporate CPA methods (concrete, pictorial, and abstract) into this goal!  READ MORE >>