Turning Points 2000: Chapter 4

Once again we revisit the idea of shaping instruction to maximize meaningful learning. Although it is "great" to teach-to-the-test and produce high scores consisting of regurgitated information, what benefits students is learning with meaning. At one point, the author says that students should be producing knowledge instead of just parroting it back to the instructor. Gaining this information in a way that matters in contexts outside of the classroom leads to durable understanding that students will be able to use throughout their lives. It is the responsibility of the instructors to provide information to students in such a way that they may take away the maximum amount of content. Using such tools as backwards design and the WHERETO model give teachers a leg up in this process, although they are dependent on the educator's ability to properly enact them. If teachers commit to use these formats in their classrooms and if they are genuinely understanding of their students' educational needs, we might be on the right track to achieving this higher level of learning.