Teaching for Understanding: What it is and how to do it

✍ Scribed by Douglas P Newton

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 209
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

At a time when test results can be everything, high scores may be pursued whatever the cost. Perhaps more than many would admit, the cost is a lack of understanding. This text describes why understanding is worthwhile and what understanding means, particularly in the subjects commonly taught in schools, colleges and higher education. It draws on research to provide a framework of strategies known to support the understanding processes. Learners may fail to understand for a variety of reasons. Why this happens and what can be done is discussed, including inappropriate conceptions of learning amongst teachers and learners, matters to do with motivation, the assessment of understanding, and what learners can do to help themselves. Unlike many books on learning, this text focuses directly on the problem of understanding and how to support it. It recognizes and illustrates the variation of understanding in different contexts and provides a framework for thinking about understanding and how it might be fostered. Understanding can be an early casualty in teaching and learning and an aim of this book is to make it a central and enduring concern at all levels of education.

✦ Table of Contents

Book Cover......Page 1
Title......Page 4
Contents......Page 5
List of Illustrations......Page 11
Introduction......Page 12
A Thumbnail Sketch of Some Underlying Ideas......Page 13
The Structure of the Book......Page 15
Understanding: A Worthwhile Goal......Page 17
Understanding as a Common Educational Goal......Page 20
A Worthwhile Goal but a Secondary Concern......Page 21
Summary......Page 23
The Nature of Understanding......Page 26
Understandings in Various Academic Subjects......Page 29
Some Understanding Variables......Page 34
Authorized and Personal Mental Structures......Page 35
Providing Support for Understanding......Page 36
Making Connections......Page 40
Working Memory......Page 41
The Undermind......Page 47
Understanding and Multiple Intelligences......Page 52
Summary......Page 53
Mental Engagement......Page 56
Mental Engagement......Page 57
Explanation......Page 58
Focused Questioning......Page 63
Forced Prediction......Page 65
Scaffolds......Page 66
Reducing Processing Load......Page 68
Supporting Mental Processes......Page 70
Supporting Unconscious Processes......Page 71
Practice and Theory......Page 77
Supporting Understanding with Analogies......Page 82
The Effect of Analogies......Page 83
Kinds of Analogy......Page 87
Bridging Analogies......Page 91
Analogy as a Means of Changing Perspectives......Page 92
Preparing to Offer an Analogy......Page 93
Summary......Page 94
Using Surrogate Teachers......Page 97
Text as Teacher......Page 98
Supporting Understanding with Text......Page 100
Text and Teaching......Page 108
Supporting Understanding with ICT......Page 109
ICT and Teaching......Page 115
Summary......Page 116
Failing to Understand......Page 121
Origins of Misconceptions......Page 124
Theories about Dealing with Misconceptions......Page 126
Strategies for Dealing with Misconceptions......Page 128
Summary......Page 132
The Total Learning Environment......Page 136
The Total Mental Environment......Page 137
Learning Behaviours......Page 140
Summary......Page 145
Knowing What Counts......Page 148
Children's Conceptions of Understanding......Page 149
Older Learners' Conceptions of Understanding......Page 151
Teachers' Conceptions of Understanding......Page 152
Summary......Page 153
Motivated to Understand......Page 156
Accounts of Learning Motivation......Page 157
Values......Page 158
Expectancy......Page 163
Emotions......Page 166
Summary......Page 168
The Self-Regulation of Learning......Page 171
Examples of Self-Regulatory Strategies......Page 172
The Practice of Self-Regulation......Page 174
The Development of Metacognition......Page 175
Learning to Learn......Page 176
Self-Regulation and Motivation......Page 178
Evaluating Understanding......Page 181
Some Mechanics of Assessment......Page 182
Windows on Understanding......Page 185
Understanding as a Part of the Learning Environment......Page 189
Summary......Page 190
In Conclusion......Page 192
A Positive and Productive Learning Environment......Page 194
Planning for a Positive and Productive Environment......Page 195
Only Connect......Page 197
Glossary......Page 200
Name Index......Page 202
Subject Index......Page 206