What is understanding and how does it differ from knowledge? How can we determine the big ideas worth understanding? Why is understanding an important teaching goal, and how do we know when students have attained it? How can we create a rigorous and engaging curriculum that focuses on understanding and leads to improved student performance in today's high-stakes, standards-based environment? Authors Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe answer these and many other questions in this second edition of Understanding by Design. Drawing on feedback from thousands of educators around the world who have used the UbD framework since its introduction in 1998, the authors have greatly revised and expanded their original work to guide educators across the K-16 spectrum in the design of curriculum, assessment, and instruction. With an improved UbD Template at its core, the book explains the rationale of backward design and explores in greater depth the meaning of such key ideas as essential questions and transfer tasks. Readers will learn why the familiar coverage- and activity-based approaches to curriculum design fall short, and how a focus on the six facets of understanding can enrich student learning. With an expanded array of practical strategies, tools, and examples from all subject areas, the book demonstrates how the research-based principles of Understanding by Design apply to district frameworks as well as to individual units of curriculum. Combining provocative ideas, thoughtful analysis, and tested approaches, this new edition of Understanding by Design offers teacher-designers a clear path to the creation of curriculum that ensures better learning and a more stimulating experience for students and teachers alike.

The Really Useful Primary Design and Technology Book brings together essential subject knowledge and pedagogy to support and inspire those planning to teach D&T in the primary school. Offering comprehensive coverage of the 2014 National Curriculum, as well as exciting ideas to extend beyond it, the book is packed full of everything the busy teacher needs to be able to develop children’s key skills and techniques, and a range of big and small projects to put them into practice. With crucial subject knowledge explained in detail, useful ‘How To’ guides at the end of each chapter reinforce the skills and technology covered with instructions for making a variety of models. Sets of lesson plans include information on the resources needed to support both more and less able children, and assessment guidance, ‘Top Tips’ and ‘Things to Consider’ provide extra help and inspiration. Key topics covered include: cooking and nutrition textiles and the design cycle IT control and monitoring mechanisms structures electronic systems the roles and responsibilities of the DT leader assessment of D&T. The Really Useful Primary Design and Technology Book provides all the information a new teacher needs to be able to teach D&T confidently, and with valuable cross-curricular links and photocopiable templates, even experienced teachers and subject leaders will find fresh inspiration for their lessons.

Communicating Knowledge Visually presents a timely, in-depth examination of information design pioneer, Will Burtin. Using a methodical approach, the authors analyze Burtin's way of working and nine of his seminal projects, including his exhibitions for The Upjohn Company and diagrams for SCOPE magazine.Excerpts taken from Burtin's unpublished writing offer insight into his thinking process and explain how he transformed complex scientific information into easy, accessible visual forms. Scientists, designers, educators and students will gain valuable knowledge from Burtin's unique design approach in meeting the current challenges of communicating complexity in their respective fields.

Design Problem Solving: Knowledge Structures and Control Strategies describes the application of the generic task methodology to the problem of routine design. This book discusses the generic task methodology and what constitutes the essence of the Al approach to problem solving, including the analysis of design as an information processing activity. The basic design problem solving framework, DSPL language, and AIR-CYL Air cylinder design system are also elaborated. Other topics include the high level languages based on generic tasks, structure of a Class 3 design problem solver, and failure handling in routine design. The conceptual structure for the air cylinder and improvements to DSPL system support are likewise covered in this text. This publication is beneficial to students and specialists concerned with solving design problems.

Teaching is changing. It is no longer simply about passing on knowledge to the next generation. Teachers in the twenty-first century, in all educational sectors, have to cope with an ever-changing cultural and technological environment. Teaching is now a design science. Like other design professionals – architects, engineers, programmers – teachers have to work out creative and evidence-based ways of improving what they do. Yet teaching is not treated as a design profession. Every day, teachers design and test new ways of teaching, using learning technology to help their students. Sadly, their discoveries often remain local. By representing and communicating their best ideas as structured pedagogical patterns, teachers could develop this vital professional knowledge collectively. Teacher professional development has not embedded in the teacher’s everyday role the idea that they could discover something worth communicating to other teachers, or build on each others’ ideas. Could the culture change? From this unique perspective on the nature of teaching, Diana Laurillard argues that a twenty-first century education system needs teachers who work collaboratively to design effective and innovative teaching.

First published in 1986. We all play the roles of teacher or learner many times in life, in school and home, on the job and even at play. How can we strengthen those roles, striving for deep understanding and sound thinking? Knowledge As Design demonstrates the strong but neglected unity between learning and critical and creative thinking. Author David Perkins discloses how the con­cept of design opens a doorway into a deeper exploration of any topic, academic or every day. Knowledge As Design challenges the concept of knowledge as informa­tion. Drawing from current philosophy and cognitive science, the book shows how learners can attain a new level of insight when learning highlights the constructed and con­structive character of knowledge. Any individual involved in formal or informal learning or teaching can benefit from the general outlook and specific principles laid out in this book. It offers a uniquely intelligent philosophy and psychology of understanding and critical and creative thinking.