What Do We Teach Part 2

In the readings that I completed for this class, I discovered more about what we teach. One important piece of information that I learned is that while many teachers strive to have their students understand material, many of them do not truly grasp the concept of understanding. 

While understanding and knowledge are sometimes used interchangeably, these words have two very different meanings. If a student knows something that means that he can recall information that was learned. He knows rules, facts, and theorems. But in order for that student to have a true understanding, he must be able to apply his knowledge. Understanding also involves using what students have learned to make judgements or solve other problems. An example of this would be teaching students the Pythagorean Theorem. Most students will easily grasp the concept of plugging numbers into the formula and finding the answer if a right angle triangle is shown with the measurements clearly labeled. However, when given a word problem that involves creating a mental triangle and marking the measurements of each side in their head, students are unable to do so. They know the Pythagorean Theorem, but they do not understand it.

Teachers can also learn from student misunderstanding. One example from the text that demonstrated student misunderstanding was when an elementary school student got back from a cross country flight and complained that she did not see any lines of longitude or latitude. These misunderstandings are valuable to teachers because they show that the student has made an attempt to transfer information that he has learned and apply it to a real-world scenario. It is important for the teacher to recognize that the student made the effort, and not become irritated that he is not "getting" the lesson.

One way for teachers to measure for understanding is by using essential questions. An essential question is an open-ended, thought provoking question that calls for higher order thinking and requires support and justification in order to be answered. These types of questions help measure for understanding because they require students to dig deeper into what they have learned as opposed to just recalling information form the lesson or the textbook. There are even overarching essential questions which are essential questions that may not be specific to a unit. One example of an essential question would be, why did the Soviet Union collapse? But an overarching essential question would ask, what are the common factors in the rise and fall of powerful nations? This overarching question can be used not just in a Soviet Union lesson plan but also in a lesson about the rise and fall of other empires.

It is important for teachers to check for understanding throughout the lesson so that students are forced to make connections with material and see the bigger picture. Teachers can accomplish this by asking essential questions.