2nd Edition

Teaching for Understanding What it is and how to do it

By Douglas P Newton Copyright 2012
    192 Pages 19 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    192 Pages 19 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    First published in 2012. Why does understanding really matter? Why do some learners fail to understand? At a time when league tables can be everything, examination grades matter. Perhaps more than many would admit, the cost is a lack of understanding. The new edition of Teaching for Understanding provides practical advice about how to support understanding in both children and adults. It is for all teachers and lecturers, experienced or otherwise, who want learners to do more than simply memorize and regurgitate information. It describes what understanding means in the different subjects and offers a framework for supporting understanding. Revised and updated to reflect evolving ideas about education and the latest challenges facing teachers and learners, this new edition includes a section on the role of e-learning, as well as additional classroom contexts and extra strategies for supporting understanding. Topics explored include: what is understanding and why is it so valuable? how understanding happens: the mental processes; the relationship between understanding and creative thought; reasons for misunderstanding and how to combat them; the impact of learners?€? motivation and strategies for self-help; how to evaluate understanding.

    Preface  1. Quality counts  2. Understanding: a worthwhile goal  3. The nature of understanding  4. Making connections  5. Mental engagement  6. Something to think with  7. Using surrogate teachers  8. Failing to understand  9. The total learning environment  10. Knowing what counts  11. Motivated to understand  12. The self-regulation of learning  13. Evaluating understanding  14. Changing minds  Glossary

    Biography

    Douglas P. Newton is a Professor of Education currently working at Durham University, UK.

    'Douglas Newton has put together a book that both student and practising teachers alike will find readable and useful. The book will also appeal to trainers in a wide variety of settings.' - Educational Developments