Grant Wiggins, Understanding by Design, 2005, p. 7-8
Backward Design is a method of designing an educational curriculum by setting goals before choosing instructional methods and forms of assessment. Backwards Design can be thought of as purposeful task analysis: How do we help learners accomplish a given task? What must learners master if they are to effectively perform? What counts as evidence in the field, not just the classroom? To answer these questions, you must think about the assessment before deciding what and how to teach.
Knowledge is the result of facts acquiring meaning. I know what a stovetop looks like. Understanding is the ability to use skills and facts through application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. I understand that stovetops can be hot, so I shouldn’t go around touching all the stovetops I come across.
Understanding is not exactly straightforward; it is multifaceted. So Wiggins and McTighe identified six facets to help characterize understanding.
A big idea is a way of seeing better and working smarter, not just a vague notion or another piece of knowledge. It is more like a lens for looking than another object seen; more like a theme than the details of a narrative; more like an active strategy in your favorite sport or reading than a specific skill. It is a theory, not a detail.