One of the service to the library tasks I took on for a while was doing one-shot instruction sessions for first year students. As part of this work, I was introduced to Wiggins & McTighe’s Understanding By Design (UbD) framework. This framework is undergirded by the idea that the lessons we teach students should be developed purposefully and with what we hope learners will understand at the end of the lesson. Essentially, the teacher starts at the end and works backwards.
The UbD framework offers a three-stage process that focuses on backwards design.
Stage 1: Teachers identify what they want their students to be able to understand or do at the end of a lesson.
Stage 2: Teachers decide what evidence will best assess whether students have learned the desired skills or information.
Stage 3: Teachers plan lessons and/or learning activities that will best convey the knowledge or skills.
The UbD framework made sense to me as a way to think about the one-shot model of information literacy because it asked me, the teacher, to start by considering what I wanted students to know rather than jamming every piece of information I could about the library and its services into a 60-minute session.
At some point, I saw the UbD framework, and its backwards approach to designing learning opportunities, as a way to also think about how I approached the service I was doing as a volunteer leader on committees in my library and in the professional associations I volunteered with. I often started thinking about a meeting I was facilitating or a project I was managing by writing a meeting agenda or a project plan in the same way that a teacher might start thinking about a class session by writing a lesson plan. A document that organizes a session serves as a useful roadmap, but it only tells us where we are going and not what getting there successfully will look like.
I borrowed Stage 1 and Stage 3 of the UbD framework’s backwards design to prepare for a meeting or a project, and I haven’t looked back.
Here’s what this version of Backwards Design looks like for me:
Stage 1: I start by identifying what I want people attending a meeting or working on a project to understand or do.
In this stage, I think about what a successful version of the meeting or project I’m planning might look like. This includes who should be involved, what unique skills or abilities each person brings, and what support or knowledge they need to successfully contribute. Sometimes, these ideas don’t leave my head, but other times they do. Sometimes I draw diagrams or write notes on paper. Sometimes I open a document on my computer and type out my thoughts.
Only when I’m clear on what the goal of a meeting or project is, and only when I’m clear on what a successful version of that meeting or project will look like, can I move on to the next stage.
Stage 2: I build a meeting agenda or project plan that reflects what a successful version of the meeting or project looks like.
In this stage, I take the vision of success I’ve created in the first stage and operationalize it in the form of a meeting agenda or a project plan. For a meeting agenda, this includes documenting what items need to be discussed or what information needs to be conveyed in a meeting, including how much time should be allotted to each item. It also includes identifying what additional information needs to be shared before the meeting to make the most of our time. For a project plan, this includes all relevant background information and rationale for the project. It also includes activities and deliverables for each phase of the project.
Using this two-stage system has been useful for a couple of reasons. First, spending time thinking about the why before thinking about the how makes me more effective as a meeting convenor or project manager because I’ve invested the time into creating conditions that respect the time, attention, and energy of those I’ve asked to participate in my meeting or project. My goal for every person who attends a meeting I convene or a project I manage is to be able to contribute their unique skills and abilities, and it’s easier to do that if I’ve cultivated an environment where I’ve lowered barriers to participation.
Equally as important, though, is how the first stage of this system gives me the time and space to mentally rehearse a meeting or a project before I get started on it. Mental rehearsal, or visualization, is a technique used by athletes to prepare for success. Athletes visualize the components of a successful match, game or race. This doesn’t just mean rehearsing the thrill of success and imagining how winning a game or making a time goal in a race will feel. It also includes visualizing potential challenges an athlete might face in an event, and imagining how they might be overcome. By mentally rehearsing prior to a match, game, or race, an athlete can be more present for the event. They have experienced the lows of challenges and the highs of success already in their minds before they ever step out onto the field or up to the starting line. They can channel this preparation into responding to challenges in the moment with poise and focus.
By taking the time to visualize a meeting or project before starting on it, I have already experienced it in my mind. I have thought about what I will do if the conversation gets derailed in a meeting. I have thought about what I will do if we meet a deadline. I have experienced the lows or challenges and the highs of success before I ever start. This allows me to be more present in the moment because I am more confident about the outcome.
The next time you are responsible for convening a meeting or designing a project, start by thinking about what success looks like, and then build the roadmaps that get you there in the form of a meeting agenda or a project plan. As part of that process, take time to mentally rehearse both success and adversity so that you can be more present in the moment. Building better libraries is easier when you have started by thinking about what success looks like for you and then boldly and confidently building the infrastructure to get there!
