The document discusses different levels of understanding, including simple understanding and deep understanding. Deep understanding helps students internalize knowledge and use it in new ways, grasp relationships and make connections. It also discusses reasoning skills, which involve manipulating knowledge to interpret, infer, solve problems, make judgments. There are three aspects to reasoning: mental skills, declarative or procedural knowledge, and performing a required task. The document then examines six facets of understanding - explanation, interpretation, application, perspective, empathy, and self-knowledge - and provides assessment examples for each.

1. Chapter 7 Selected-Response, Short-Answer, and Essay Items What is Deep Understanding? There are two levels s of understanding; Simple Understanding- To be able to make sense of something, and with further involvement and more detail information, understanding is deepened to eventually use the information in new ways. Relationships are being explained in a systematic, integrated, and holistic manner.

2. What is Deep Understanding? Deep Understanding- helps students to internalize what they can do with their knowledge to then contract meaningful connections with what they already know. In Deep Understanding, students will- Know the ‘essence’ of something Use their knowledge in new and sophisticated ways Grasp the idea of relativity and significance Discover and interpret new relationships Novel explanations Reason with what they comprehend

3. What is Reasoning Skills? -Involves some kind of mental manipulation of knowledge. -Employs knowledge in order to interpret and draw inferences, solve problems, make judgements or decisions, or engage in creative or critical thinking. There are three ingredients to Reasoning- Mental skills are needed to perform the task In order for simple understanding, declarative or procedural knowledge is needed The task itself is performed (what are you required to do?)

4. Assessment of the Six Facets of Understanding Explanation Interpretation Application Perspective Empathy Self- Knowledge

5. Explanation Can students explain what they are doing? Not just facts, but “Why?” and “How?” Know why they are right. See how it relates to other things. Assessment: Oral exams Use of assessment that will evoke misunderstanding Assess novice-expert continuum Build tests on essential questions Assess depth independently Students are given assignments and assessment that require them to explain what they know and give good reasons in support of it before teachers conclude that they understand what was taught.

6. Interpretation Provide stories that give meaning. Why does it matter?, What does it mean? How does it relate to me? Interpret a conclusion from data. Assessment: Can students put together a story that enlightens and engages the reader? Assess story underlying a concept

7. Application Apply to NEW situations. How and where can we use this knowledge, skill, or process in a NEW situation? Students will mimic professional problem solving through real world problems. Assessment: Contextualized Performance Tasks Assess whether students can respond to their errors or feedback Do not just assess the performance (luck?), but understanding

8. Perspective Whose point of view? Is there accurate evidence? Especially looking at it from another’s point of view. Expose questionable and unexamined assumptions, conclusions, and implications. Assessment: Demonstrate knowledge of importance or unimportance. Assess knowledge of opposing or alternate views. Find author’s intent.

9. Empathy How does it seem to you?, What do I need to experience if I am to understand? Feel what someone else feels (Writer, artist, or performer). Respect for others. Assessment: Demonstrate being in “someone else’s shoes.” Empathize with an undesirable. Teach others (empathize with their ability)

10. Self- Knowledge What are the limits of my understanding? How does who I am shape my views? Self-consciously question our understandings to advance students. Find blind-spots, prejudices, and oversights in our thinking. *knowing limitation in learning and understanding. Assessment: Self-assess past and present work. Do an assessment twice. Check student’s understanding of how much they know. http://www.uen.org/Rubric/rubric.cgi?rubric_id=1219

11. ACTIVITY http://thisibelieve.org/essay/31307 Experiencing a Feeling of Wildness NPR, This I Believe ► Explanation Listen: How Nature writer David Gessner, defines Wilderness.

12. ACTIVITY Listen to the story http://thisibelieve.org/essay/31307 Each group are assigned to one of the six facets of understanding 5 minutes to discuss with group then discuss to the class

13. ACTIVITY Explanation Listen: Experiencing a Feeling of Wildness , from NPR, This I Believe ► Interpretation Interpret the author and readers ideas of wildness. How would he define the idea of wildness? ► Application Define wildness from a personal perspective. ► Perspective Consider that the author/reader is a teacher, world traveler, father, son…how do these roles influence his perspective on the concept of wildness? ► Empathy Discuss: could you connect to the author/readers ideas? When he shared his stories—his father, his daughter, his walking on an empty beach…do you have a personal connection to any of these experiences that may help you understand the ideas presented? ► Self-knowledge Reflect: what personal experiences have shaped your ideas about wildness?