students see and answer suchquestions as these: What’s the point? What’s the big idea here? What does thishelp us understand or be able to do? To what does this relate? Why should welearn this?

Backward design may bethought of, in other words, as purposeful task analysis: Given aworthy task to be accomplished, how do we best get everyone equipped? Orwe might think of it as building a wise itinerary, using a map: Given a destination, what’s the most effective and efficient route? Or we might think of it asplanning for coaching, as suggeste

Because big ideas are inherently transferable, they help connect discrete topics and skills.

A bigidea is a concept, theme, or issue that gives meaning and connection to discrete facts and skills.

The argument for backwarddesign is predicated on the viewthat we are not likely to achieveour target of understanding—however we define the term—unlesswe are clear about what counts as evidence of that understanding.And

In skill-focused courses of study, look forbig ideas in• The value of the skill—what the skillhelps you do more effectively or efficiently• Underlying concepts (e.g., “persuasion”when teaching the skills of persuasive writing or debate)• Issues of strategy—effective tactics,including when to use a particular skill • Why the skill works—the theories

The error of activity-oriented design might be called“hands-on without being minds-on”—engaging experiences that lead onlyaccidentally, if at all, to insight or achievement.

If transfer is the key to teaching for understanding,our designs must make clear that questions are not only the cause of greaterunderstanding in the student, but also the means by which all content accrues.

We cannot stress enough the importance of long-term priorities in planning. Justifiable decisions about what to teach, what to leave out, what toemphasize, and what to minimize can be made only if there are agreed-uponpriorities related to exit-level objectives. With no long-term goals, there is noperspective—hence no check on the teacher habit of