Knowing and Understanding

We are approaching the final day of our summer courses! As I swim through the glee, a few thoughts surface. Backwards design differentiates between knowing and understanding. Knowing, the facts and knowledge of something, is separate from understanding, which is where transfer occurs. As a teacher, I strive for students to know and understand the content or concept. You really cannot have understanding without knowledge. You cannot make connections and transfer to new situations if you don't have the basic knowledge. The knowing, the facts, can be taught in a constructive manner, but is often (and successfully) taught traditionally. There is room for different learning theories in the same classroom depending on the desired end result. If I keep the difference between knowing and understanding clear in my mind, I am more apt to clearly teach knowledge and provide real-life opportunities for students to transfer their knowledge into understandings and connections.

So, will all this new knowledge and (hopefully) understandings that I've acquired over this (very long) summer session bear lovely fruit in my teaching and learning? Oh, please, let it be a resounding and enthusiastic yes.