Teaching for Understanding

The ability to solve problems, make decisions, think critically and creatively should be developed for all university students, regardless of grade level and discipline, so they can function successfully to the demands of a globalized world. To respond appropriately and flexibly to rapid changes, they should know formulate problems and questions with clarity, collect, synthesizes and evaluate relevant information, formulate well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, reflect openly on the assumptions, implications and applications of the responses, and communication effectively with others in solving complex problems. Also, they be involved in developing creative ideas and products, tasks essential to innovation and continuous improvement.

As a result, ULACIT has chosen an educational model for Understanding Teaching that responds to the question of how humans learn.

Students should understand that they alone can control their own learning process. No one can force others to learn, but the teacher can help promote deep learning by providing opportunities to experience, reflect, create and practice.

From the constructivist perspective, ULACIT recognizes" that students learn when actively involved in their learning within a zone of proximal development and maintains an interest in learning throughout the process"

Therefore, this blog tries to explain how the teaching strategies such as classroom discussion, collaborative learning or team-based approach, problem-based learning and projects, learning logs, graphic organizers, the electronic portfolio and peer review can help to foster critical and creative thinking in the approach to teaching for understanding.

According to Mrs. Silvia Castro (sf) "ULACIT work daily to prepare our students intellectually and emotionally for a life of rapid change and complex. To do this, we strive to provide rigorous curricula that meet high quality standards, and we care about internationalizing the curriculum and strengthen the bilingual education, service learning and research. In addition, we provide opportunities to develop their human potential in a more comprehensive: the creative life, spiritual and ethical"

Written by: Mayela

Project Zero and Teaching for Understanding

The Teaching for Understanding was a five-year research program designed to develop and test pedagogy of understanding. The project targeted the middle and high school years and focused on teaching and learning in four subjects (English, history, math, and science). Since the project's inception, researchers and practitioners have collaborated to develop, refine, and test the pedagogy.

During the first three years, the collaborators developed a framework that stresses in-depth learning.  If a student understands a topic, the students can not only reproduce knowledge, but also use it in unscripted ways. For example, a student in a history class might be able to describe the gist of the Declaration of Independence in her own words; role-play King George as he reacts to different parts of it; or write out parts of an imagined debate among the authors as they hammer out the statement. These are called performances of understanding because they give students the opportunity to demonstrate that they understand information and apply it in new ways.

In addition to performances of understanding, the framework highlights three other key concepts: generative topics, understanding goals, and ongoing assessment. For teachers, attention to each of these aspects of instruction helps ensure that they will be focusing their time and energy on helping students to learn about those concepts, ideas, and skills that are most important to understand. For the students, this approach to teaching and learning enables them to apply their knowledge and skills flexibly in a variety of situations.

References:
Project Zero. History. Retrieved from: http://www.pz.harvard.edu/ProdServ/Products.htm