The text “Understanding” by Design, written by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, tries to make us aware of the significance of Understanding and the big difference that this concept has in relation with knowledge. After we read the text there are three main ideas that help us to comprehend the importance of “Understanding.”
*Firstly, the text wants to show that teachers are not really conscious of what really understanding means. They tend to confuse understanding with knowledge making a big damage in students learning. Teachers need to know what understanding means in order to make it as their main objective. Usually in class, teachers have a tendency to make students learn their lessons by hard, making them repeat and repeat all the time. As a consequence students learn the different theories, rules and concepts but most of the time they are not able to apply them. Teachers must identify what the word “Understanding” means in turn to plan their lessons in an effectively way to obtain an authentic understanding.
*Secondly, the text tries to clarify the differences between Understanding and Knowledge, making us aware that both concepts are very different but also they are related. Knowledge is what we can explain us as the main concepts of a specific topic and understanding involves the relation among those concepts in order to apply them in another context and going beyond. The relation that connects Understanding and knowledge falls on the fact that we must know some concepts previously to have a further effective understanding.
*Thirdly, the text tries to explain us all the information above in order to be conscious that there are a lot of test that do not measure understanding, that they just assess knowledge and in same cases not even that. It is easy to identify this issue when we know that teachers teach in an inappropriate way, they just want to teach the main objectives and the compulsory lessons. They think that if her or his students are able to answer some specific concepts they already understood the lesson but they don’t take the time to assess a real understanding.
*Firstly, the text wants to show that teachers are not really conscious of what really understanding means. They tend to confuse understanding with knowledge making a big damage in students learning. Teachers need to know what understanding means in order to make it as their main objective. Usually in class, teachers have a tendency to make students learn their lessons by hard, making them repeat and repeat all the time. As a consequence students learn the different theories, rules and concepts but most of the time they are not able to apply them. Teachers must identify what the word “Understanding” means in turn to plan their lessons in an effectively way to obtain an authentic understanding.
*Secondly, the text tries to clarify the differences between Understanding and Knowledge, making us aware that both concepts are very different but also they are related. Knowledge is what we can explain us as the main concepts of a specific topic and understanding involves the relation among those concepts in order to apply them in another context and going beyond. The relation that connects Understanding and knowledge falls on the fact that we must know some concepts previously to have a further effective understanding.
*Thirdly, the text tries to explain us all the information above in order to be conscious that there are a lot of test that do not measure understanding, that they just assess knowledge and in same cases not even that. It is easy to identify this issue when we know that teachers teach in an inappropriate way, they just want to teach the main objectives and the compulsory lessons. They think that if her or his students are able to answer some specific concepts they already understood the lesson but they don’t take the time to assess a real understanding.
I agree with you Maria Jose this text has an important statement we have to measure understanding and not just knowledege.
ResponderEliminarI totally agree with the importance having the difference between knowledge and understanding clear when teachers evaluate students. Learning is not just retain as much information as students can, but also having evidence of what they learned by let students perform and apply the contents.
ResponderEliminarYou go straight to the point when in your second paragraph, you state in a way that knowledge goes before understanding. Since this last concept is about puting into practice, and aldo be able to reflect and relate what was taught, you need to know some concepts and idead before that, which is the knowledge.
ResponderEliminarJose:
ResponderEliminarI agree with you, when saying that teachers make a damage in students when they do not know what undrstanding means. I think that if teachers don't know this, their lessons have a lack of purpose and support.
I think teachers have to manage the difference between knowledge and understanding to make the learning process efficient and effective. Moreover, as you mention they need to be aware about the importance of knowing something by heart and applying something deeply and meaningfully.
ResponderEliminarI agree with your idea that "teachers must identify what the word “Understanding” means in turn to plan their lessons in an effectively way to obtain an authentic understanding". It is so important that teachers make the difference between understanding and knowledge, because it will allow them to realize if their students are really acquiring the content and if they'll be able to put in practice what they've learned.
ResponderEliminarI think that this chapter is revealing when explains what teachers and us understand by understanding. why understanding is so important? well, the thing is that teachers have to understand this concept because it is the milestone of their work. Understanding is the reason of why teachers exist. Don't you think?
ResponderEliminarAfter reading, we can say that Teachers are not really conscious of what really understanding means, they just misunderstand the real meaning of that. Unfortunately, the word understanding will be for a long time misunderstood.
ResponderEliminarEs importante lo que dices acá que somos los profesores que no entienden muchas veces, y que tenemos la responsabilidad de definir bien las diferencias entre entendimiento y conocimiento. Si nosotros no lo podemos hacer, cómo podemos esperar que los estudiantes nos muestren tal entendimiento o conocimiento. Solo cuando hagamos eso podemos planificar más eficientemente y enseñar mejor.
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