Backward Design Model

 Backward Design Model

For centuries, education has consisted primarily of students sitting before an instructor in a classroom, learning via lecture and note memorization from text books. Although this traditional system was not perfect, it served its purpose as a generally effective way to educate students. The concept of pedagogy has continued to evolve as educators have explored different approaches to teaching and learning.

 

The backward design model as described by Wiggins and McTighe (1995, 2000) provides a framework that can help prospective teachers in a content methods course to begin to transform their content knowledge into pedagogical content knowledge. It also encourages teachers to develop an awareness of both vertical and horizontal curriculum connections. Rather than beginning with the content or activities that will be taught, backward design begins by identifying what students should understand and be able to do as a result of the learning experience.

 

The Three Stages of Backward Design

There are three stages in the backward design model, traditional planning and backward design. Comparing backward design with traditional lesson planning helps to illustrate how the two approaches differ.

 

1.0       Traditional Planning

Stage 1: Curriculum Expectations: What do I want the students to be able to do? The teacher may begin by reviewing the curriculum expectations and determining what content should be taught.

1.0       Backward Design

Stage 1: Identify Desired Results: What enduring understanding about literacy and life inform the standards at this grade level and how can these understanding engage students. (Graff Nelson, 2011).

 

2.0       Traditional Planning

Stage 2: Determine Assessment Level: What do I want my students to learn? Would the lesson be fun, interesting, useful, or engaging? Also, what standards to address when teaching the lesson

2.0       Backward Design

Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence: What evidence can I use to determine whether students have analyzed the materials and developed an understanding of the lesson?

 

3.0       Traditional Planning

Stage 3: Planning Instructions and Learning Experiences: What instructional strategies and activities should I use to help the students understand the lesson?

3.0       Backward Design

Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instructions: What skills and knowledge do students need to develop in order to be successful? What resources will help students develop those knowledge and skills.

 

The Importance of Alignment

The curriculum expectations, assessment level, planning instructions and learning experiences must work together. If these components are not aligned, the lesson will not be as effective as it should be. The teacher must be specific in what the curriculum planning is for and what the students are expected to learn and how the lesson will support those expectations.  An example will be, if the purpose of a lesson is for students to learn how to complete an invoice, the lesson should focus specifically on that learning goal rather than introducing several different types of invoices. In addition, the assessment must demonstrate achievement of the learning goals-an approach starts with the end in mind making sure that a connection is there between the lesson and the objectives.

 

Beginning With The-End-In-Mind

The backward design model, the end-mind refers to the learning goals and desired outcomes that students should achieve by the end of the lesson. The teacher first considers what the students must understand, know, and be able to do.

 

The desired outcome essentially becomes the destination for students learning. It keeps instruction focused and purposeful, ensuring that classroom activities, assessments, and teaching strategies all work toward clearly defined learning outcomes. 

 

This approach helps teachers prioritize meaningful learning experiences rather than simply covering contents. Instead of focusing primarily on how much material can be presented during a lesson, the teacher can consider whether students have developed the knowledge, skills, and understanding identified in the learning goals.

 

Conclusion

The backward design model provides teachers with a purposeful framework for planning instructions. While traditional planning may begin with curriculum contents, activities, or instructional strategies. Beginning with the end in mind allows teachers to create lessons that are focused, intentional, and meaningful.

 

References

Graff, N. (n.d.). Nelson Graff (Teacher education quarterly, Summer 2011). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ940642.pdf

 

McTighe, J., & Wiggins, G. (2014b). Do we need an assessment overhaul? Proven Programs in Education: Classroom Management & Assessment, 30–34. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483365633.n7

 

KarenP@NU

Engagement…the key to learning?

When thinking about engagement, I recognize that engagement in the classroom is far beyond just simply listening in class, completing their work, and participating in class discussions. Since, a disengaged learner can also be seen doing all of these things as well. Meaningful engagement incorporates students both being able to feel connected to what they are learning and playing an active role in their learning process. For many students staying motivated in their work can stem from their engagement in the content they are learning. It is not uncommon for students to possibly struggle academically because of their personal struggles in that subject. So finding ways to engage students even in subjects they don’t love can be extremely helpful. 

My own academic journey has been heavily influenced by my ability to be engaged with my learning. Throughout elementary school, I constantly found myself struggling to stay engaged with the content being taught. Whether it be math, language, science, etc, I was always just looking forward to either gym class or recess. I was fortunate enough to have some very good teachers that wanted me to explore my interests within the scope of what I was learning. Having these opportunities allowed me to bring my own interests into different writing assessments, or projects. As I got older, I continued to find my own interest within my classes that allowed me to become significantly more motivated in my learning because of my own personal interests in what I was learning about. 

When I think of my own personal experiences with engagement and my own pedagogy as an educator, I want to find the balance between having that creative freedom while sticking within the curriculum. For instance, as a future history teacher, I want to be able to allow students to have creative freedom with picking their own topics for assessments, instead of me limiting what they are able to research. Having this mindset as a teacher gives students the opportunity to look into particular topics within history that they find interesting. As long as it fits appropriately into the curriculum expectations we are focusing on, I think this is an excellent way to keep students engaged with material, especially when an assessment is attached to it. This also gives students the ability to play that active role in their own learning because they are getting a little bit of freedom in what they want to learn more about. 

References:

Singha, Ankita. (2026). Student Engagement: More than Just Participation. 21K School. https://www.21kschool.com/ma/blog/student-engagement/. 

LaraE@OTU

Learning Through Failure

Failure is something that I think we are naturally taught to avoid. Whether it is getting a question wrong or losing a game we usually connect failure with something negative. The more I think about my own experiences however, the more I realize that some of the times I have learned the most have actually come from failing. This is one of the reasons why I really like the idea of using failure as a learning strategy in the classroom. I don't want my future students to think that being successful means always getting everything right. I want them to understand that sometimes getting something wrong is exactly what helps us get better.

I've always been someone who gets motivated when I fail at something. If I can't do something, I usually want to keep trying until I figure it out or practically perfect it. I think a lot of this comes from my experience playing soccer. As a goalie, mistakes are very noticeable. If I made a mistake that led to a goal, there wasn't really anywhere to hide. Everyone could see what happened. I definitely made plenty of mistakes throughout the years, but I also learned from them. Instead of letting one mistake completely define how I played, I had to figure out what went wrong and what I could do differently the next time.

Looking back, I don't think I would have reached the level I did without those experiences. I eventually reached my goal of playing Division 1 soccer, but getting there definitely didn't mean that I did everything perfectly along the way. There were mistakes, bad games, frustration, and things I needed to improve. I think those experiences made reaching my goal mean even more because I knew how much learning had happened along the way. One of the ideas from us learning about failure that really stood out to me was that failure gives us information that success sometimes doesn't. It can show us what isn't working and push us to change what we are doing. I can really relate to that through my own experiences in sports.

Now that I coach soccer goalies, I get to see failure from a completely different perspective. I see goalies struggle with techniques all the time, and I have noticed that everyone responds differently. Some will struggle with something and almost immediately give up or stop caring about fixing it. Others become extremely frustrated with themselves because they want so badly to get it right. Neither reaction necessarily helps them learn, which is where I think my role as a coach becomes really important. I try to remind my goalies that they can do it, but they have to be willing to learn from what isn't working. I don't want them to see one bad attempt and decide that they aren't capable of doing something. I would much rather see them make the mistake, think about what happened, make an adjustment, and try again. In learning about failure, we discussed how making mistakes can build resilience and how being able to try again can build confidence. I think I see that happen firsthand when I coach.

This makes me think a lot about the environment I eventually want to create in my classroom. If a student is afraid of getting an answer wrong or feels embarrassed when they make a mistake, I think they could slowly start to disconnect from the classroom. They might stop raising their hand or avoid trying something difficult because they don't want other people to see them fail. To me, that would be a much bigger problem than simply getting a question wrong. I want every student to feel welcomed and included in my classroom, and I want them to actually be happy and motivated to come to school and learn.

Because of that, I think a big part of my responsibility will be changing the way my students look at failure. I want to openly talk about why failure is important and share some of my own experiences with them. I think students should know that their teacher has failed before too. When someone gives me a wrong answer, I also don't want my immediate response to simply be, "That's wrong." I would rather ask them how they got there or what their thought process was. Even if the final answer isn't correct, there might still be something valuable in how they approached the problem. From there, we can figure out what needs to change and try again.

One idea from the key presentation that really connected with me was productive failure. Rather than trying to eliminate failure from the classroom, teachers can create opportunities for students to make mistakes, ask different questions, try again, and use different strategies. I really like this idea because I don't think my job as a teacher should be to protect students from ever experiencing failure. My job should be to create an environment where it is safe for them to fail and then help them figure out what they can learn from it. I also think this applies to me just as much as it applies to my students. No teacher is going to be perfect. I'm sure there will be lessons I plan that don't go the way I expected, activities that students don't connect with, or times when I realize afterward that I could have handled something differently. I don't want to become a teacher who is afraid to admit when something didn't work. Teachers are constantly learning too. If I expect my students to learn from their mistakes, then I think I need to be willing to do the exact same thing.

That is one of the biggest reasons why I see failure as being so important in teaching. Failure doesn't have to be the end of something. It can just be information about what we need to do differently next time. The resources describe being wrong as an opportunity for change because it can show us what didn't work and give us clues about how we might improve. I want my students to leave my classroom understanding that getting something wrong doesn't mean they aren't smart or capable. It just means they haven't figured it out yet.

As a teacher, I want to celebrate the process of getting better, not just the final success. Whether it is my students learning something new or me learning how to become a better teacher, there will always be mistakes along the way. I don't think we need to be afraid of those moments. We need to be willing to learn from them, try something different, and keep going. To me, that is what makes failure such an important part of learning.

Giancarlo Varano

giancarlo.varano@ontariotechu.net

Enriched for All: Rethinking the ‘Typical’ Learner

In today’s lecture, we discussed the growing number of (identified and not) students with diverse learning needs in our classrooms, including learning disabilities, behavioural needs, giftedness, and intellectual disabilities. The message that stuck with me is “enrichment for all students,” meaning that when we design lessons for students who need accommodations and modifications, everyone can benefit. We must get to know our students early in the school year. Observe them, talk with them, and ask how they learn best. We can work alongside their families/guardians, siblings, previous teachers, veteran teachers, and special education resource teachers to gain a better picture of how best to support each student. It really does take a village to raise a child, regardless of their learning needs. 

Offer many doors into the same learning.

This is where multimodal instruction comes in. Frameworks like VARK (Visual, Auditory/Aural, Read/Write, Kinesthetic) provide a helpful vocabulary for the different ways students learn. Of course, this does not imply that a student is only one type of learner or that we should treat learning styles as fixed labels. Learning shifts as the subjects and their prior knowledge shift. Using such frameworks allows students to reflect on what works best for them. So the goal is to give every student multiple ways to engage and let them choose. 

That connects to Universal Design for Learning and the need to plan for variety from the start, rather than retrofitting accommodations later. In practice, this could be lessons that blend two curriculum expectations from different subjects. In practice, this could be a single lesson that blends two curriculum expectations from different subjects. For example, students might listen to a read-aloud in literacy (aural), sketch or map the story’s setting and how they imagine the characters to look (visual), perhaps act out a key scene (kinesthetic), and write (read/write) or orally (verbal) give a reflection. Each student enters through a different door, but everyone reaches the same learning goal.

I saw this firsthand as a volunteer in a Grade 5 classroom with several Multilingual Learners (MLLs). While reading Wonder by R. J. Palacio aloud, the teacher found a Mandarin audiobook so students who were newer to English could follow along in their first language while the class listened in English. After a few chapters, she asked each table to identify the main characters, settings, and conflict and how it was resolved. Every table received a large graphic organizer with English and Mandarin labels for each category, along with photos as prompts. 

She then used this as a bridge into a story-writing lesson, offering several versions of the same task. Students could draw on photos to spark ideas about characters and settings, use a visual graph to map the beginning, middle, peak, and end of a story, and match Mandarin words to English ones. Everyone worked toward the same goal through different doors.

What struck me was how natural it felt. Nothing singled out the MLL students because the support was part of the lesson for everyone. Asking the teacher why she made these choices and how she knew what would work was invaluable. 

What does this look like in practice?

• Recognize that preferences vary, and avoid labelling students.

• Build on strengths while developing areas of growth.

• Give students real choices in how they learn and show what they know.

• Remember, there is rarely one “right” way to do something.

• Above all, flexibility is central. A plan is a starting point, and the best teachers adjust it as they learn more about the students standing before them. 

Must-read articles about multimodal learning

https://www.gettingsmart.com/2019/04/26/5-classroom-strategies-to-support-multimodal-learning/ 

https://www.edutopia.org/visual-essay/the-power-of-multimodal-learning-in-5-charts/  

https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/multimodal-learning 

Resources for P/J Interactive Strategies & Lesson Plans

https://tvolearn.com/ 

https://www.fourdirectionsteachings.com/

https://musicplayonline.com/learning-modules/  

Online (Visual/Auditory) Reading Resources

https://www.getepic.com/ 

https://storylineonline.net/

AbbyL@OTU

How to Make History Interesting: Let’s Get Digital!

When I was in school, I remember having a hit-and-miss experience in my history classes. In elementary school, my history teacher had a very monotone voice and focused on areas of the history curriculum that interested him, but were not engaging for many students. Outside of school, I loved watching “Horrible Histories” and history documentaries, but in class, I could not pay attention. I struggled to reconcile these two versions of history, so, going into high school, I was indifferent to having to take history in Grade 10. 

Luckily, in Grade 10, I took a unique integrated English and history class that ran during the first two periods of the day. With the added class time, my teachers were able to create engaging, interesting lessons in both subjects. Throughout the class, I fell back in love with history! My teacher was very passionate about history and educating students, using various digital games to engage us when learning. Her strategy made my classmates, who previously hated history, enjoy coming to class every day. 

I think for a subject like history, it is incredibly important to engage students using some of the many available digital resources. Students today love to use technology, whether playing video games, using social media, or browsing online. To meet students at their level, teachers must integrate digital platforms when teaching.

For history in particular, there are many online resources with a wide range of uses. My personal favourite to use is video games, as there is something out there for everyone. For example, a teacher can suggest (or buy and give to students) Assassin's Creed Discovery Tour. The Discovery Tour Vikings is rated E for everyone, Discovery Tour Ancient Greece is E10+, and Ancient Egypt is T for teens. When supplemented with lessons, these resources can be great for sparking interest in students who generally do not like history.

Another great resource to use in class is War Museum Canada’s Over the Top video game. It explores life in the trenches during WWI, and the avatar relies on students' prior knowledge to survive. Using this in class as a pre-test review is great for encouraging students to reflect on their learning in a fun way.

For subjects that aren’t mandatory for students to continue to take, it is incredibly important that teachers put in the effort to make their classes educational and engaging. As mentioned in class on Thursday, it is vital that teachers connect with students' individual interests. If students begin to associate their individual interests with the lesson or subject, then hopefully it will set them on the path of establishing a lifelong interest in history. 

References: 

IMDb.com, INC. (n.d.). Horrible Histories (TV series 2009–2025) - IMDb. Horrible Histories. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1400819/. 

The game / Over the Top. Canadian War Museum. (n.d.). https://www.warmuseum.ca/overthetop/.

Ubisoft. (n.d.). Discovery tour by Ubisoft: Teacher Learning Resources: Ubisoft (CA). Ubisoft. https://www.ubisoft.com/en-ca/game/assassins-creed/discovery-tour.

AbbieH@OTU

Student Development and Bullying: Creating Space for Meaningful Conversations

Student development is a complex topic because there are many different areas that contribute to a student’s growth. Physical, cognitive, social, and moral development are all interconnected and can be seen when discussing difficult topics such as bullying. Bullying is an issue that speaks to me on a personal level, as it is something I experienced growing up and something I also encountered while teaching in New York. Since bullying is unfortunately something educators will likely face throughout their careers, I believe it is important for us as teacher candidates to have meaningful conversations about how we can approach these sensitive issues with our students.

One strategy I believe can be particularly powerful is creating opportunities for respectful and meaningful class discussions. Before beginning a conversation about bullying, it is important to establish the classroom as a safe and supportive community. Students need to understand that they can express their thoughts and emotions without fear of judgment, while also understanding the boundaries around how we speak to and about one another.

One way I would introduce this conversation is through a short film or story. Rather than beginning with a teacher simply talking about bullying, a video gives students something concrete to observe, think about, and connect with. I have personally found that short films without dialogue can be especially powerful. Without someone telling you exactly what to think or feel, you are able to create your own dialogue and imagine yourself in the situation. This can encourage students to think more deeply about what they are seeing and consider how they might feel if they were in that situation.

Before showing the video, I would prepare students by explaining that the topic is important and may bring up big emotions. I would remind them that emotions are valid and that I am there to support them. This is especially important because students may have experienced bullying themselves, witnessed it happening to someone else, or even recognize their own behaviour in what they see. Students should know that they can be vulnerable and that they do not have to share anything they are uncomfortable discussing.

After watching the video, I would give students time to process what they have seen before beginning a class discussion. They could respond through a writing prompt, poem, drawing, or simply writing down words or feelings that came to mind. Giving students different ways to reflect allows them to process their thoughts in a way that works best for them.

We could then come together as a class, perhaps sitting in a circle to reinforce our sense of community, and discuss what students noticed and how the video made them feel. Students would be reminded of our expectations for respectful discussion and that they do not have to speak if they are not comfortable. The goal is not to force students to open up, but to create an environment where they know they can if they ever need to.

This type of lesson can support several areas of student development at once. Cognitively, students are observing, interpreting, questioning, and reflecting. Socially, they are learning to listen to different perspectives and communicate respectfully. Morally, they are developing empathy, caring, and a sense of responsibility by considering how their actions affect others and what it might feel like to be in someone else’s shoes. These conversations can also help students recognize and process difficult emotions.

I believe this type of conversation can reach students in ways that a traditional lesson about bullying might not. A student experiencing bullying may not feel ready to tell an adult, but hearing an open conversation about the topic may help them realize that they are not alone and that their teacher is someone they can approach. At the same time, students who may be participating in bullying behaviour may begin to recognize how deeply their actions can affect another person.

Of course, a whole-class discussion about bullying should not replace addressing an actual bullying situation. If bullying is occurring within the classroom, it needs to be addressed separately and appropriately with the students involved. However, proactive conversations about empathy, responsibility, and the impact of our actions are important regardless of whether a specific situation has occurred.

As educators, we cannot always prevent difficult experiences from happening to our students. What we can do is create a classroom community where students know they are valued, supported, and safe to ask for help. To me, this is where bullying and student development come together: a powerful video can open the door to a meaningful class discussion, and that discussion can help students grow in how they think, communicate, empathize, and care for the people around them.

Link to my favourite video for elementary age: The Bullying Monster- Vanish

Link to my favourite video for intermediate age: Are You Okay?  

Emily Carmichael - EmilyC@OTU

Becoming a Parent Changed How I Think About Student Development

My Personal Connection to Student Development

Before I found out I was going to have a daughter, I had never really thought deeply about children’s development or done much research about it. After she was born, that changed completely. My daughter is now 14 months old, and watching her grow has made me pay much more attention to how children develop physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally.

As a new parent, I started noticing things I had never really thought about before, such as fine motor skills and gross motor skills. I began watching how she learned to hold objects, pick up small items, crawl, stand, move around, and gradually become more independent. These small changes made me realize that development is happening all the time and that every stage brings new abilities and new challenges.

Why Understanding Development Matters

This connects closely to what we learned in class about why development matters. The course materials explain that teachers need to understand development so they can plan activities that are appropriate for students’ ages and abilities, set realistic expectations, understand why children of the same age may still be different, and recognize that some developmental changes happen quickly while others may take years.

This idea is meaningful to me not only as a future teacher, but also as a parent. As my daughter grows, I want to have some understanding of what developmental stage or period she is in. I want to know what kinds of physical, cognitive, emotional, and social changes may be common at different ages so that I can better understand the situations I may encounter during her growth.

Understanding Different Developmental Stages

One theory that stood out to me was Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. The course describes how children move through different stages of thinking, beginning with sensorimotor learning and gradually developing more logical and abstract thinking.

Learning about these stages helps me understand that children may think very differently from adults. A child may not yet be developmentally ready to understand something in the same way that an older child or adult can. As a parent, this reminds me to be more patient and to think about whether my expectations are appropriate for my daughter’s stage of development.

There Is No “Typical” Child

Another idea that I found especially important is that children of the same age can still develop very differently. The course materials explain that students may vary because of age, experiences, knowledge, and individual developmental differences.

The presentation also introduces the idea of the “illusion of the typical student,” which reminds us that there is no single developmental pattern that perfectly describes every child.

This is important for me to remember with my own daughter. Learning about developmental stages can give me a useful reference point, but I should not expect her to reach every milestone at exactly the same time as another child. The same idea will also be important in my future classroom, where students of the same age may have very different strengths, needs, and learning progress.

How This Will Influence Me as a Parent and Teacher

For me, learning about student development is meaningful in two ways. As a parent, it helps me better understand what my daughter may be experiencing as she grows. If she becomes more independent, frustrated, curious, shy, or emotional at certain stages, I want to have some background knowledge that helps me understand why these changes may be happening.

As a future teacher, this knowledge reminds me to be patient, flexible, and careful about making assumptions about students. Developmental theories can help me understand general patterns, but they should not be used to label children or assume that every child should develop in exactly the same way.

Learning about student development is meaningful to me not only as a future teacher, but also as a parent. It gives me a better idea of what stage a child may be in, what they may be capable of, and how adults can support them through each period of growth.

https://yugong26.blogspot.com/2026/09/becoming-parent-changed-how-i-think.html

Brought to you by: Yu@OTU

Educational Technology Instructional Design (Backward Design Model)

Educational Technology Instructional Design (Backward Design Model) Backward Design - The End-In-Mind For centuries, education has consisted primarily of students sitting before an instructor in a classroom, learning via lecture and note memorization from text books. Although this traditional system was not perfect, it served its purpose as a generally effective way to educate students. The concept of pedagogy has continued to evolve as educators have explored different approaches to teaching and learning. The backward design model as described by Wiggins and McTighe (1995, 2000) provides a framework that can help prospective teachers in a content methods course to begin to transform their content knowledge into pedagogical content knowledge. It also encourages teachers to develop an awareness of both vertical and horizontal curriculum connections. Rather than beginning with the content or activities that will be taught, backward design begins by identifying what students should understand and be able to do as a result of the learning experience. The Three Stages of Backward Design There are three stages in the backward design model. Comparing backward design with traditional lesson planning helps to illustrate how these two approaches differ. Traditional Planning Stage 1: Curriculum Expectations: What do I want the students to be able to do? The teacher may begin to review the curriculum expectations and determine what content should be taught. Backward Design Stage 1: Identify Desired Results: What enduring understandings about literacy and life inform the standards at this grade level and how can these understandings engage students. (Graff Nelson, 2011). Traditional Planning Stage 2: Determine Assessment Level: What do I want my students to learn? Would the lesson be fun, interesting, useful, or engaging? Also, what standards to address when teaching the lesson. Backward Design Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence: What evidence can I use to determine whether the students have analyzed the materials and developed an understanding of the lesson? Traditional Planning Stage 3: Planning Instructions and Learning Experiences: What instructional strategies and activities should I use to help the students understand the lesson? Backward Design Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instructions: What skills and knowledge do students need to develop in order to be successful? What resources will help the students develop those knowledge and skills. The Importance of Alignment The curriculum expectations, assessment level, planning instructions and learning experiences must work together. If these components are not aligned, the lesson will not be as effective as it should be. The teacher must be specific in what the curriculum planning is for and what the students are expected to learn and how the lesson will support those expectations. An example will be, if the purpose of a lesson is for students to learn how to complete an invoice, the lesson should focus specifically on that learning goal rather than introducing several different types of invoices. In addition, the assessment must demonstrate achievement of the learning goals-an approach starts with the end in mind making sure that a connection is there between the lesson and the objectives. Beginning With The End In Mind The backward design model, the end-in-mind refers to the learning goals and desired outcomes that students should achieve by the end of the lesson. The teacher first considers what the students must understand, know, and be able to do. The desired outcome essentially becomes the destination for students learning. It keeps instruction focused and purposeful, ensuring that classroom activities, assessments, and teaching strategies all work toward clearly defined learning outcomes. This approach helps teachers prioritize meaningful learning experiences rather than simply covering contents. Instead of focusing primarily on how much material can be presented during a lesson, the teacher can consider whether students have developed the knowledge, skills, and understanding identified in the learning goals. Conclusion The backward design model provides teachers with a purposeful framework for planning instructions. While traditional planning may begin with curriculum contents, activities, or instructional strategies. Beginning with the end in mind allows teachers to create lessons that are focused, intentional, and meaningful. KarenP@NUO

Finding the Spark - Are you Interested?

Interest, in my view, can start with something very small. Situational interest, based on my readings, happens when there is something stimulating in the immediate environment. It might be a question, an activity, a surprising fact, a picture, a story, or something else that catches the attention. But is situational interest restricted to these examples only?

Could situational interest also arise in the event of an urgent need? The need itself is not situational interest, but perhaps the spark happens at the moment you find a possible solution to a problem you’re facing. Imagine being stuck on the side of a countryside road with an engine problem and you suddenly find a solution online. Would you feel that spark? I personally think I would feel a rush, and I would be focused on the solution and motivated to resolve the issue. Is that the spark of interest we’ve heard so much about? Is that the same kind of spark mentioned in the definition of situational interest?

I remember a kind professor telling the class about a situation where he faced an issue with the toilet, and he had no recourse but to resolve it himself. And as he scoured the vast database of YouTube videos, he came across a video that targeted the exact problem. And even though said video was in Russian(!), he watched it (presumably more than once) and managed to resolve the issue. I wonder if there was a spark of interest in that situation. Maybe that’s also a form of situational interest? Because frankly, if I were in such a situation, I would feel a rush of excitement and an upsurge in energy when I finally find what I am looking for, especially when in need. So, situational interest, in my view, is that temporary spark; that excitement of finding what you need; and that wow factor that may cause you to become more focused, motivated, and engaged with the situation.

Moreover, while preparing our presentation on interest, I thought of a question that stayed with me: Do students always need to begin a lesson with a vested interest in the topic? And if somebody does not like the topic at all or “hates” it, what is it that a teacher should do?

In my view, a student may not like the topic of a lesson initially, but if that student continues to have positive experiences with said topic, I believe that the student can gradually develop interest. Perhaps the teacher can create an experience that helps spark situational interest? And if such positive experiences continue, the student’s situational interest can gradually grow into a stronger type of interest, namely individual interest. This made me think about how often students may say things like, “I hate math,” “Science is boring,” or “I’m just not interested in reading.” As teachers, it would be easy to assume that some students simply do not like certain subjects. But maybe that is not always the full story. Maybe they just have not had the right experience yet, and it is up to the teacher to take on this challenge and help develop the student’s interest.

I also read that when interest is present, students are more motivated to learn, while disinterest can make learning much more difficult. My readings also described interest as something fragile that can appear and disappear quickly. I think that this aspect alone makes the teacher’s role very important. A teacher might not be able to force a student to become interested, but we can create opportunities for interest to develop. For example, a student who does not care much about science might become curious after looking through a telescope or watching an experiment. That one moment may not turn into a lifelong interest, but it can be a starting point.​

As a future teacher, I want to remember to look for those small moments of curiosity and those little sparks of interest. And then, instead of merely asking, “How do I teach this lesson?” I sure hope to think of other useful questions too, like: “What could make a student want to know more?” or “what could pique the students’ interest in the topic of my lesson?”

Perhaps that small spark is enough to motivate the learning!           

IjazA@OTU

Is AI good for teachers but bad for learners?

 Why AI Helps Teachers

Reduces workload: AI drafts lesson plans, quizzes, rubrics, and feedback, saving hours of routine administrative work.
Customizes instruction: Teachers use AI to quickly adapt materials for different reading levels and learning styles.
Focusses on human connection: By automating repetitive tasks, teachers have more time for direct student interaction and emotional support.

Risks for teachers: Overreliance on AI can introduce algorithmic bias, data privacy issues, or administrative pressure to replace human judgment with automated grading.

Why AI Challenges Learners

Dulls critical thinking: Unsupervised use—such as letting AI write essays or solve math problems—bypasses the cognitive struggle required to actually learn.
Creates a false sense of mastery: Studies show students who use AI just to find quick answers perform worse on later closed-book tests than peers who used traditional methods.
Spreads misinformation: AI tools can hallucinate false facts or present inaccurate data that students may lack the subject expertise to spot.

How AI Can Benefit Learners

Acts as a Socratic tutor: When programmed to ask guiding questions rather than give direct answers, AI helps students brainstorm and grasp difficult concepts.
Increases accessibility: AI provides real-time translation, vocabulary support, and alternative text formats for diverse learners.

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