Teaching for Life, Not Just the Test: Lessons from Jay McTighe

"Understanding supports transfer. That’s the end goal." Jay McTighe

If you're a PDHPE, CAFS or Health and Movement Science teacher feeling the pressure of curriculum reform, high-stakes exams like the HSC and never-ending content, this one’s for you.

In my recent conversation with Jay McTighe, co-author of Understanding by Design®, we unpacked what’s really at the heart of great teaching and why it’s not about just “getting through the content.”

💡 The Problem with Teaching to the Test

Jay said something that really stuck with me:

"If all your students can do is give back what you told them the way you told them... that’s not learning. That’s memorisation."

We’re seeing more testing, more accountability, more pressure. But the irony is: the students who succeed long-term aren’t the ones who’ve memorised the most… they’re the ones who can apply, adapt and transfer.

So what does that look like in real terms?

✅ The Backward Design Blueprint

Here’s how Jay recommends we reframe our planning process:

1. Start with the end goal.
   What do you want students to do with their learning? What real-world actions, decisions or conversations should they be capable of?
   

2. Identify the understandings they’ll need.
   Not just facts, but conceptual understanding that supports transfer.
   

3. Design assessment early.
   Use performance tasks and authentic assessments as the driver, not the afterthought.
   

4. Plan learning experiences that build toward the performance.
   That includes explicit teaching, coaching and facilitated inquiry… like a good coach, not a content robot.
   
   

🎯 From Teacher to Coach

Jay’s coaching analogy is pure gold:

“No effective coach would drill skills without ever letting their team play the game.”

Too often, we teach skills in isolation, then expect students to “just perform” when the exam comes around. But if they’ve never had to use those skills in meaningful, authentic contexts, how can we expect them to succeed?

We’re not just covering content, we’re preparing kids for life. And that means:

• Building in opportunities for practice and feedback (scrimmages!)

• Giving students authentic audiences for their work

• Helping them connect classroom learning to real-world situations
  
  

🔄 Transfer Is the Endgame

Whether it’s preparing students for the HSC or for lifelong wellbeing, we need to think beyond the textbook. In PDHPE, CAFS and Health and Movement Science, this might look like:

• Collaborative investigations

• Inquiry-based projects

• Real-world interviews with ageing athletes

• Presentations to community audiences

• Debates on public health or ethical issues
  
  

🚀 Getting Started: Think Big, Start Small

Jay’s advice?

“Think big. Start small. Work smart. Go for early wins.”

Pick one unit. One outcome. Start designing backward from what really matters.

If we want students to thrive in an unpredictable world, we have to teach them how to transfer their learning beyond the PDHPE, CAFS and Health & Movement Science classrooms. 

Let’s be the coaches they need—not the content machines they forget.

Listen to our inspiring conversation: www.thelearnnet.com/143