Understanding by design is a method of teaching that provides a common language for teachers who are interested in enhancing student comprehension rather than recall learning or formulaic knowledge. The method of understanding by design offers a tool-kit and framework of research-based preeminent practices that have been confirmed effective in assisting educators to promote understanding-based outcomes for learning, enlarge the range of valuation tools and processes they use to monitor learner achievement, and augment their design of instructional undertakings to promote high levels of learner accomplishment. This method has advantages and disadvantages.
One of the key advantages of understanding by design is a common sense nature of its principles and strategies. Another advantage is the potential for guiding and enlightening the process of school renewal and instructive reform. Additionally, understanding by design can guide and inform educators' efforts to unpack ideas and to help all students develop a broad theoretical understanding of what they are learning.
Some of the disadvantages of understanding by design may include; the unavoidable issues that emerge with any alteration initiative or variable in learning settings, particularly an alteration that can be as thought-provoking and sometimes threatening as understanding by design.
The issue of staff members' resistance, misunderstanding, and uncertainty to a framework that requires them to think and function at a deep theoretical level. Additionally, the very real dichotomy that occurs in many institutes and districts associated to high-stakes accountability testing counting educators' misperceptions about the necessity to cover the program and touch on the whole thing that might be on the test. The experiment of moving understanding by implementation beyond initial adopters and supporters to include staff affiliates who may be impervious, who may be fence-sitters, or who are antagonistic to new and challenging ideas.
There are various methods to integrate the understanding by design into K-6 curriculum. One of the methods is to identify the desired results in terms of skill and knowledge so that the essential questions are asked for the students. The second method is to determine the acceptable evidence meaning that one has to identify the means of getting the information. Finally, the experience in the learning process should be determined while preparing the students for assessments.
