For Understanding Sona Sargsyan What is understanding Understanding

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For Understanding Sona Sargsyan

For Understanding Sona Sargsyan

What is understanding? • Understanding is a matter of being able to carry out

What is understanding? • Understanding is a matter of being able to carry out a variety of flexible performances concerning the topic taught. Learning facts can be a crucial backdrop to learning for understanding, but learning facts is not learning for understanding. Understanding shows its face when people can think and act flexibly around what they know. In contrast, when a learner cannot go beyond rote and routine thought and action, this signals lack of understanding.

“ Teaching for Understanding is an Apply for Education”. David Perkins (Senior Associate at

“ Teaching for Understanding is an Apply for Education”. David Perkins (Senior Associate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education ) Nowadays teachers are providing The students the wrong apple. The apple of knowledge isn’t the apple that truly nourishes. We need the apple of understanding.

Questions What shall we teach? What is worth understanding? How shall we teach for

Questions What shall we teach? What is worth understanding? How shall we teach for understanding? How can students and teacher know what students understand how students can develop deeper understanding?

What's the Teaching for Understanding Framework? The Teaching for Understanding framework, developed in a

What's the Teaching for Understanding Framework? The Teaching for Understanding framework, developed in a research project at Project Zero during the early nineties. David Perkins – co-director of Harvard Project Zerohas called "four cornerstones of pedagogy" with four elements of planning and instruction “The Four Elements of the Teaching for Understanding Framework (Tf. U)”.

The four elements of the Tf. U. 1) Generative Topics 2) Understanding Goals 3)

The four elements of the Tf. U. 1) Generative Topics 2) Understanding Goals 3) Understanding Performances 4) Ongoing Assessment

1. Generative Topics Generative topics have several key features: They are central to one

1. Generative Topics Generative topics have several key features: They are central to one or more disciplines or domains. They are interesting and accessible to students. They have multiple connections to students' experiences both in and out of school They are interesting to the teacher. e. g. It is easier to teach for understanding about the Boston Tea Party than about colonial tax policies, because the Boston Tea Party dramatizes issues around colonial tax policies.

2. Understanding Goals Unit-Long GOAL Identifies specific goal for the specific topic • What

2. Understanding Goals Unit-Long GOAL Identifies specific goal for the specific topic • What will students understand? • What will they appreciate? • Where will they use the obtained knowledge? Year-Long / Overarching Understanding Goal are called "throughlines”. Each of the individual units makes up the course would have understanding goals that related closely to the overarching understanding goals. • What will the students take away from my class?

3. Understanding Performances ØUnderstanding performances are the heart of developing understanding and are linked

3. Understanding Performances ØUnderstanding performances are the heart of developing understanding and are linked closely to understanding goals. ØStudents should be engaged in performances (hold a good conversation, improvise jazz, service-learning than multiplication table) that demonstrate understanding from the beginning to the end of the unit or course. ØLearning facts can be a crucial backdrop to learning for understanding, but learning facts is not learning for understanding.

4. Ongoing Assessment Criteria Self-Evaluation Students need Feedback Reflection

4. Ongoing Assessment Criteria Self-Evaluation Students need Feedback Reflection

TFU Will………. ü Guide and allow room for personal expression ü Help you and

TFU Will………. ü Guide and allow room for personal expression ü Help you and your students to achieve goals ü Help your students to understand ü Help your students to be knowledgeable and skillful ü Help you in becoming a NUMBER 1 TEACHER

References 1. URL: http: //learnweb. harvard. edu/alps/tfu/info 3. cfm 2. URL: http: //www. newhorizons.

References 1. URL: http: //learnweb. harvard. edu/alps/tfu/info 3. cfm 2. URL: http: //www. newhorizons. org/strategies/understanding/ front_understanding. htm 3. URL: http: //www. newhorizons. org/strategies/understanding/ unger. htm 4. URL: http: //www. pz. harvard. edu/Research/Tf. U. htm 5. URL: http: //www. weac. org/News_and_Publications/ education_news/1996 -1997/under. aspx 6. URL: http: //www. exploratorium. edu/IFI/resources/ workshops/teachingforunderstanding. html 7. URL: http: //www. newhorizons. org/strategies/understanding /neal. htm