Teaching for Understanding

A teaching method that focuses on helping students truly understand and be able to apply what they are learning, rather than simply memorize facts or learn specific skills that are easily forgotten. It focuses on forming connections and seeing relationships among facts, procedures, concepts, and principles, and between prior and new knowledge.

Enduring Understanding: This term refers to a goal of unit planning that seeks to have students remember and apply the most important aspects of what they have learned in that lesson or unit. An example might be the scientific method in science, or symbolism in literature, or the power of zero in math, or the concept of “manifest destiny” in history.

Facets of Understanding (Wiggins & McTighe):

Explanation: Why is it so? What explains such events? What accounts for such action? How can we prove it? To what is this connected? What is an illustrative example? How does this work? What is implied?
Interpretation: What does this mean? Why does it matter? What of it? What does it illustrate or illuminate in human experience? How does it relate to me? What makes sense?
Application: How and where can we use this knowledge, skill, or process? how should my thinking and action be modified to meet the demands of this particular situation?
Perspective: From whose point of view? From which vantage point? What is assumed or tacit that needs to be made explicit and considered? What is justified or warranted? Is there adequate evidence? Is it reasonable? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the idea? Is it plausible? What are its limits? So what?
Empathy: How does it seem to you? What do they see that I don’t? What do I need to experience if I am to understand? What was the writer, artisit, or performer feeling, thinking, seeing, and trying to make me feel and see?
Self-Knowledge: How does who I am shape my views? What are the limits of my understanding? What are my blind spots? What am I prone to misunderstand because of prejudice, habit or style?