Teaching for Understanding Teaching for Understanding

Teaching for Understanding challenges students to connect learning to large scale themes that are central to the discipline being studied while enabling students to actively use knowledge and skills across disciplines in purposeful ways. For additional information, read How Teachers Recognize Student Understanding.

When does Teaching for Understanding take place in the Lesson Plan?

  • Understanding Goal shared with students
  • Understanding and misconceptions assessed by teacher and/or learner
  • Learners explain thinking
  • Learners use knowledge to create a product or express a novel idea

Learn about Teaching for Understanding

Teaching for Understanding Online Bibliography

Perkins, D. and Blythe, T. (1994) Putting Understanding Up Front. Educational Leadership. Alexandria, VA: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. Available online through Annenberg Media.

ALPS Web site (Active Learning Practice for Schools). Teaching for Understanding Introduction. Harvard's Graduate School of Education and Project Zero.

Bransford , J., Brown, A., and Cocking, R. (editors). (1999) How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School. National Research Council.

Thinking Routines

Teachers need to make student thinking visible in the classroom to assess and foster the development of student understanding of the curriculum. "Thinking Routines" developed through research at Harvard's Graduate School of Education Project Zero. Primary sources provide many opportunties for students to practice thinking and for teachers to assess student thinking because primary sources require thoughtful interpretation. Learn more about making thinking visible and thinking routines at the following Web sites:

See How Model Activities Use this Best Instructional Practice