Do You Really Understand?

Dear Ms. Understanding:

I train teachers. In one of my courses, I led a discussion of checking for understanding: How do we know that the light has gone on, that the student comprehends what the teacher is saying? In the midst of my discourse, a curious trainee asked, “What about long-term understandings that arrive in steps or by degrees?” I wanted to strangle that teacher-wannabe. Everyone’s concentration was broken. The lesson was ruined. What should I do next time this occurs?

Furious with Curious

Dear Furious:

Ignore the interruption, and go on. We must avoid the area of deeper understanding. If we go there, we might offend a parent or two, and that must never, ever happen. “Checking for understanding” is really just a nice way of asking, “Do you hear me?” Any inquiry into deeper understanding is bound to lead to the realm of opinion, and we must never go there. We must teach only agreed-upon matters of fact. A colleague once pointed out that we express opinion when we choose which facts to share. She’s entitled to her viewpoint. In school, we seek to mold students into unbiased absorbers of necessary information. Some spoilsports say that information without viewpoint is soon forgotten. Forget about that.