Question

In your opinion, what does it mean to teach for understanding, to not just cover the topic? How is teaching for understanding measurable?

Answer 1

Answer: In this globalised and interconnected world, where everything is changing at a fast pace, Classrooms have to adopt new ways to impart knowledge to the students. World is offering new potentials and is facing a new sets of problems never faced before. With the advancement in the field of mobile communications and affordable internet, A huge amount of information is easily available. Elecronic mail,social networks and upcoming technologies enable seamless communication. Creativity and innovativation is the need of hour. Teaching for understanding is way through.

Since the begining of modern education system, Knowledge and Skill got the prefrencial seat. Knowledge of history,geograpghy, mathematics, sience and other subjects are imparted to a young mind. Syllabus are made and followed religiously in our schools. But still many of the young minds are not able to adapt and many of them lag behind. The reason of this problem is, when we stress hard to impart knowledge, less attention is given to the understanding of the topic. Teaching methods are devised to repeat a topic nth time so that student can easily memorize them.

But this huge dependence on knowledge is doing no good. Internet made the aquisition of knowledge eaiser. It is the job of a teacher to help a student to interpret it. That's the reason understanding of a particular subject is very important. Students should be able to to find, choose, categerize, evaluate and apply information to a new situation. They should ask questions and solve difficult problems. A deeper understanding of topic is more important than just covering the topic, so that student can use those information for his cause.

Recent developments in the field of cognitive learning and nuroscience have also helped this cause. They support a set of learning principles that emphasise the importance of constructing meaning and developing understanding. Root kknowledge do no good and can't be applied to slove problems. Education has no real essence if it is not able to help us to tacle our day to day situations and problems at work. Teaching for learnig promotes transfer of knowledge rather than root learning.

Exam systems and assignments are devised to check the memory which is very ancient. Teaching for understanding requires continous assessment of a student so that he can be assessed regularly. When a student can explain, interpret, apply and demostrate prespective, transfer of knowledge completes its transition. Teaching for understanding is measured by the understanding of a topic and how it can be used by the students in his life. Various activities and projects where one has to apply the practical knowleadge of the subject is very important to trace the measurement of understanding.

Understanding core ideas and the ability to use them to solve new problems should be the important aspect of education today instead of covering the topic. Education is a way to solve new problems, and without proper understanding capabilities, it's very difficult to tackle them. In the place of rote learning, teaching for understanding focuses on encouraging students to explore difficult questions and engage them in useful applications.