Looking at Big Ideas: Planning for Enduring Understanding Vicki R. Lind


Several years ago I attended an in-service program focused on the work of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, Understanding by Design (1998). During the first meeting, we were challenged with the task of identifying the big ideas that framed our teaching. What did we want our students to understand when they left our classroom and what did we hope they would remember as they continued through their adult life?


Before reading on, take a minute to answer this question for yourself. What are the core principles central to your teaching?


My initial response focused on music literacy. I have always wanted my students to become independent musicians and I tied this goal to their ability to read notation. Several of the participants asked me why I wanted students to read music. As our conversations continued, I began to question whether music literacy was a “big idea” or whether it was a skill that helped lead students to a deeper understanding of what it is to be a musician.


As I thought more about what I wanted my students to take from their experiences in choir, I realized that it wasn’t the value of a half note or the relationship between two pitches. Rather, I wanted my students to use music to communicate ideas, feelings, and emotions. I still believe music literacy is important, but coming to the understanding that it is a skill that leads our singers to a deeper awareness of musicianship has changed how I approach my teaching.


Wiggins and McTighe (1998) use the term “enduring understandings” to describe concepts and core principles that are central to a discipline and that have lasting value beyond the classroom. To explain, they use the concept of a linchpin idea, “The linchpin is the pin that keeps the wheel in place on the axle. Thus, a linchpin idea is one that is essential for understanding… Without a focus on linchpin ideas that have lasting value, students may be left with easily forgotten fragments of knowledge” (p. 11). We have seen this with choral students who can sing the alto part to several songs but have no understanding of the piece as a whole or with students who can recite the names and definitions of musical symbols but are not able to relate the symbol to sound.


To help us better understand “enduring understandings” and identify the big ideas worthy


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of uncoverage, Wiggins and McTighe provide four filters for teachers to use as they select ideas for their classrooms (p. 10 – 12). These four filters, or criteria, can help us determine what is truly worth understanding.


Filter 1. To what extent does the idea, topic, or process represent a “big idea” having enduring value beyond the classroom?


Enduring understandings go beyond discrete facts or skills. My high school English literature teacher, Mrs. Barbie, loved books and her enthusiasm was infectious; I am still an avid reader. It was her hope that we would be life-long readers and that books would open new worlds for us. That is a “big idea.” We certainly had to learn the alphabet, and learn grammatical structures before we could read for understanding. But Mrs. Barbie didn’t love individual letters or isolated words; she loved the stories and valued what they could provide for her students. Likewise, in music, I want my students to be able to communicate ideas, thoughts, and emotions through their performances. I believe music literacy is important, but it is important because of where it takes my students.


An example in music might be “composers use music notation to communicate ideas”. This enduring understanding focuses on music notation but goes deeper by requiring us to explore the function of notation as an expression of bigger ideas. This seemingly small shift in focus changed how I approached music literacy. Previously, I taught music reading in isolation. I would write rhythm patterns and melodic phrases on the board and have the choir practice reading the excerpts. I often tied these examples to the music, but I rarely referenced the composer’s intent. I realized that students learn notation, not because they need to know what a half note is, but because they are better able to realize a composers intent and tell the story of the music if they are able to interpret notation.


Filter 2. To what extent does the idea, topics, or process, reside at the heart of the discipline?


Perhaps the best way to think about this filter is to consider how professional musicians work. Certainly, professional musicians have mastered the skills required to sing or play an instrument. Merely having the technical ability, however, does not lead to a professional career. As we


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