EDCI 337 Blog Post 5

Where do you see constructive alignment and backward design used in this course or another course you are taking/ have taken? Is there anywhere where it seems to be missing?

Constructive Alignment and Backward Design are two tools used to design a lesson. Constructive alignment means that the learning outcomes, assessments, and activities are all aligned with each other (Biggs). Whereas, backward design is when the lesson plan is constructed with the end goal in mind (learning outcome), then working from there to design the activities and assessment (Richards, 2013).

While taking this course ( EDCI 337), I have seen numerous applications of constructive alignment and backward design. For example, during the week 5 lesson, learning outcomes/objectives are clearly stated at the top of the blog. Following this, resources for the lesson are provided. This section aligns with providing the activities. Lastly, is the assessment section. The assessment was in the form of a blog post while commenting on another peer’s post, and creating an infographic using the design principles. Constructive alignment was also used in the lesson since the objectives, activities, and assessment all related to the core idea of design principles for multimedia presentations.

Lesson Design Planning- The Korean Alphabet

Big Idea: The Korean alphabet is the foundation of the language

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to write and pronounce each letter of the Korean alphabet

Evidence of Learning: A visual reenactment of the use of the letters of the alphabet and pronunciation.

Assessment: A video of the student using parts of their body to display each letter of the Korean alphabet. They must also sound out each letter as they display them

Learning Activities: Watch a video about the Korean alphabet: how to write and pronounce each letter.

References

Biggs, John, Constructive Alignment in University Teaching, HERDSA Review of Higher Education Vol. 1, www.herdsa.org.au

Richards, J. C. (2013). Curriculum approaches in language teaching: Forward, central, and backward design. Relc Journal, 44(1), 5-33.