Start with the end in mind – Backward Design in HPE

Are your HPE lessons aligned, purposeful, and focused on real learning? In this episode I unpack the three key stages of backward design, identifying learning goals, designing authentic assessment, and planning meaningful learning experiences. Whether you’re a preservice teacher or early in your career, this episode will help you plan with clarity, confidence, and impact. Tune in to rethink how you plan your teaching and why it matters. 

Music by amado zapana from Pixabay

Transcript

Hi and welcome back to podcast, I’m Nat, and today I want to talk to you about a planning approach that can completely shift how you design and deliver Health and Physical Education lessons, especially if you’re new to teaching or still developing your confidence. It’s called backward design, and yes, it’s as strategic as it sounds.

Now, backward design is one of those design theories that’s not flashy or complicated, but it’s powerful. It helps you make sure your lessons are purposeful, aligned with curriculum, and truly focused on student learning. Instead of starting your planning by asking, “What activity should I do?”, backward design flips the script. You start by asking, “What do I want my students to learn and be able to do?”and then work backwards from there to design your assessments and then the lessons your students will n

So, how does it actually work?

There are 3 stages to backward design, and each one builds on the last. The first stage is to identify what’s valued in HPE. This means thinking about the big ideas the knowledge, skills, and dispositions we want our students to walk away with. In HPE, this might include understanding how to stay active and healthy, developing social-emotional skills, or learning to move with confidence. These are the things that matter not just in school, but for lifelong wellbeing.

To figure out what’s valued, we turn to our curriculum. The Australian Curriculum for schooling and the Early Years Learning Framework for prior to school settings, both provide clear guidance, but it’s also about knowing your students. What’s age-appropriate? What are their interests? What do they need right now in terms of their development and wellbeing? And what do you, as the teacher, bring to the table in terms of strengths and priorities? When we’re clear on what matters, we can build units of work that are both meaningful and manageable.

The second stage is to decide what students will demonstrate at the end of the unit. This is where you design your assessment task. Too often, assessment gets tacked on at the end of a unit like an afterthought but when we plan backwards, assessment is central from the beginning. You’re thinking about how students will show you what they’ve learned.

In HPE, this might be a performance-based task like demonstrating a movement sequence, or it could be something more reflective like explaining how to stay safe during physical activity. Whatever it is, the assessment needs to be authentic, inclusive, and clearly connected to what you value. You’ll also need to think about how you’ll make judgments will you use a rubric? A checklist? And how will you make sure your assessment is fair and consistent, especially if you’re working across multiple classes?

Once you’ve got your endpoint and assessment task in mind, you move to stage three: planning how to get them there. This is where the actual lesson planning happens but it’s guided by purpose. You’re not just picking activities that are fun or convenient. You’re choosing learning experiences that build toward the outcome. Each lesson should be scaffolded to support students to develop the knowledge and skills they’ll need to succeed in the assessment.

You might sequence your lessons to gradually build in complexity starting with individual skill development, moving into small group activities, and then combining those skills in a modified game or structured challenge. You might also build in opportunities for students to collaborate, reflect, or practise self-management especially important in HPE. And as you plan, think about how to embed general capabilities like critical thinking, personal and social capability, and ethical understanding. These don’t sit outside HPE they’re right at the heart of it.

When you are designing your lessons you need to think about how assessment will be embedded into your teaching. This is about making assessment an ongoing, visible part of the learning process not just a final task at the end. We’re talking about formative assessment those informal check-ins, observations, and conversations that help you understand how your students are progressing and what support they need.

You might also build in peer assessment activities, use questioning to prompt reflection, or collect student exit slips throughout the unit. You might also co-construct success criteria with your students so they know what quality looks like and how to aim for it. When students are involved in the assessment process, they become more engaged, more confident, and more capable of owning their learning.

So, what’s the real value of backward design?

It keeps your planning focused. It ensures that your lessons are actually helping students learn what matters and have the knowledge and skills to be successful in the assessment. It supports inclusion because you’re thinking intentionally about how to meet diverse needs. And it helps you feel more prepared because you’ve mapped the learning journey from start to finish.

If you’re still getting used to the planning process, start simple. Choose one outcome or one big idea and try planning backwards just for that. Ask yourself: What do I want my students to learn? How will I know they’ve learned it? What experiences will help get them there? And how will I monitor and support that progress along the way?

Planning doesn’t have to be overwhelming and backward design is one way to bring clarity, structure, and purpose to your teaching. Backward Design reminds us to always start with the “why.”

Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope this episode has given you a fresh perspective on how to plan with intention and confidence. Until next time keep planning, keep reflecting, and keep putting your learners at the centre of everything you do.