Stage 3: Design content and activities to support learning

Stage 3 of the backward design process focuses on designing learning activities and developing content that supports learning. A key component of Stage 3 is formative assessment--low-stakes discussions, quizzes, and activities that provide that opportunity to chew on new knowledge and practice new skills.

Ideally, formative assessments are varied--they allow students to work with ideas verbally, visually, and kinesthetically, and use a variety of tools, as well. And, ideally, formative assessments provide rich feedback through a variety of channels and sources, such as feedback in rubrics, from the instructor, from peers, and from meaningful self-assessment. Additionally, formative assessments are integrated with the learning material. They allow learners to practice, receive feedback, then practice some more, so they gain confidence over time and so they have the opportunity to learn knowledge and skills in small segments.

Most importantly, formative assessments must be aligned to the summative assessment. They are designed in ways that allow students to learn the knowledge and skills they will need to perform well in the summative assessment. This includes practice not only with the learning material, but also with technology tools that will be used for the final assessment.

There are many wonderful activities and tools you can use for formative assessment. To create the most robust learning environment for your students, the formative assessments in your unit should build to the summative assessment. Need inspiration? Here's a quick introduction to Project-Based Learning to give you something to chew on:

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