What Are We Really Teaching?
Understanding is the forgotten goal of education
Understanding is our internal mental model of the world, and I believe that it is the point and purpose of all learning.
Our internal mental model is built from our knowledge and experiences with our environment, people, and concepts such as science, nature, technology, and history. We start building our theories about how the world works at an early age. All the developmental milestones that children have—rolling over, sitting up, babbling, eating solid foods, walking, talking, reading, writing, thinking logically to complete a puzzle, solving a math problem—are tied to their ability to observe, process, internalize, and then apply what they see in the world around them in their own unique way.
Understanding requires having a solid foundation of knowledge. We construct our understanding by comparing what is new and unfamiliar with what we already know, and language is at the heart of this process.
Words are not just vocabulary. They are bundles of meaning and experience, and our understanding is anchored by our knowledge of language. The words we use point to the knowledge from which we construct, interpret, and reflect on the meaning of what is around us. Knowledge and language are essential to our understanding.
According to Marilyn Adams:
“Words are not just words. They are the nexus—the interface—between communication and thought. When we read, it is through words that we build, refine, and modify our knowledge. What makes vocabulary valuable and important is not the words themselves so much as the understandings they afford.”
In particular, the words we use reveal our knowledge and understanding. If a child talks about conducting an experiment, chances are they have some concept of what experiments include, why they might conduct one, and how they might conduct one, even if there are still some gaps in their mental model.
Why is this important?
In education, we often lose sight of why we’re engaged in teaching and learning. We substitute the values and expectations of leaders, participation in a system, learning standards, and assessments as the reason for learning:
“My district told me that I have to teach this.”
“A law was passed that requires me to teach this way.”
“I want my kids to be prepared for the next grade.”
“I need to know that they can do what is detailed in this standard.”
“I want them to pass the test so they can move on to the next grade and so that I can keep my job.”
But all of these reasons simply dilute the real reason we’re teaching: to help students create their own internal mental models of the world around them.
To do this work well, teachers, whether in a school setting or at home, must:
Know the learner(s) and how to motivate them
Know the content and how it is represented in their own mental model
Know what it looks like when the content is learned
The rest is noise.
Sometimes it’s deafening and seems like really important noise.
No one wants to be fined or fired, and dysfunctional systems are designed to preserve themselves. They want you to believe that the noise is the real work: mandates, pacing guides, policies, and performance metrics all shout over the quiet work of real learning.
Your job isn’t to follow the noise. Your job is to listen for understanding.
Don’t let the system distract you from the real work. If the goal of real learning is understanding, then everything else is either helping or getting in the way.
So get clear. Get brave. Push back. Return to the learner. Reclaim the purpose. Teach for meaning. Teach for understanding. Teach like it matters... Because it does.
Build the kind of learning that helps children make sense of their world because that understanding will be their foundation for a lifetime.
If you know that the system is off track, then you have two choices: conform, or challenge it.
Choose the challenge.
Understanding is the point. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.
