You Can't Teach Understanding. You Can’t Teach Understanding by Grant Wiggins, Ed.D, Authentic Education A cardinal principle in aiming at understanding is that understanding requires different pedagogy than acquisition of knowledge and skill. Knowledge and skills are best developed by direct instruction and reinforcement if we want recall and fluency. Understanding, however, involves something beyond mere acquisition for later straightforward use. They have to think and rethink. They must be required to draw inferences and come to realizations, try performing with that understanding, and draw further inferences from what works, what doesn’t, when, and why.
Thus, to achieve understanding as an educator, you have to help students “by design” come to realizations that they own and appreciate as insightful. The temptation to teach understandings is great. Alas, it almost never works in the end. No, there is no way around it. The Essential Question as Anchor Ancient texts and fairy tales! “Falling Behind” Sequence Matters. Connected Learning Infographic.
Announcing the ASCD Arias Imprint—Timely Answers to Your Burning Education Questions. Let’s visualize September: The year is young and you’re right where you want to be. You’re consciously applying the myriad new skills acquired over a summer of professional learning. You’re maintaining your personal sense of balance. You’re moving surely down the path toward true mastery, and you’re seeing the students benefit. But you want more—to do more, to grow more. There are urgent questions you want answers to. And you want to put the answers into practice as soon as you can. Enter the ASCD Arias™ imprint. Eighteen additional ASCD Arias titles are planned for the 2013–14 school year, so stay tuned. What education questions do you most want answered? Redos and Retakes Done Right.pdf. STEM Magazine Jan. 2013 by wayne carley. Teaching for Understanding (Harvard GSE)