Starting with an explanation of Understanding by Design, this presentation emphasizes that art develops understandings of facets of knowledge that are not touched upon in other subject areas

1. Developing Big
Ideas to Create
Understanding.
Based on Understanding by Design
Wiggins & McTighe (2005)

2. Understanding by Design Wiggins & McTighe
 Is sometimes called Backward Design
3. Plan Instruction to
help them get there.
2. Determine Evidence
of Understanding
1. Identify Desired
Results

3. Lesson Planning Begins
with the Big Idea
• BIG Idea and Essential Questions
1. What is the understanding we want to share?
• What kind of assessments determine
student understanding?
2. How will we know if students are getting it?
• What do we want students to
do, say, apply, make, explain ?
3. How do we get students there?

4. The core of curriculum should be
the Big Idea
Activities
Questions
Assessment
BIG IDEA

5. Big Ideas are about Broad Human Issues
Examples of Big
Ideas
 Life cycles
 Reverence for life
 Aging
 Power
 Community
 Family
 Idealism
 Spirituality
 Uncertainty
 Human diversity
 Social norms
Criteria for
Essential Questions
Questions Should:
 Reflect conceptual priorities
 Be distinct and substantial
 Be broad and umbrella like
 Not be repetitious
 Be realistic, logical and in
simple English

6. 6 Facets Frame the
Assessments for Understanding
Explanation
Most subject areas cover
these three.
Understanding
Application
Interpretation
Art thinking
offers
opportunities to
grow in these
areas.
Empathy
Perspective
Self-
Awareness

7. Identify Tasks which demonstrate
these Assessments of Understanding
in Art Curriculum
 Explanation
 Application
 Interpretation
 Perspective-Seeing from different view points
 Empathy/Empatique(Fr)-Understanding thru art
 Self-Knowledge- Building self awareness

8. Consider Assessments that
demonstrate understanding
Students will
 Construct
 Collaborate
 Select
 Modify
 Create
 Plan
 Employ
 Formulate
 Design
Students can envision
positive change

9. And Finally Design TASKS!
also referred to as activities!
 Look at and Discuss Artwork
 Meet an Artist
 Find Beauty, Concepts
 Share on-line Galleries
 Make your own materials
 Use free technologies
 All the better to understand something bigger that the
both of us!