Don't Just Remember- Understand Instead!

Though I really enjoyed both the Allington and Pinnell articles this week, I personally connected with Allington's take on understanding vs. remembering. Allington talks about what he calls "confusions" that have made it difficult to change classrooms (and schools) for the better. Understanding vs. remembering is one of these confusions. This is the notion that we have "confused comprehension with question-answering." This sad reality directly impacted my learning experiences while I was in grade school. I specifically remember getting caught up in the details of the stories I read because I knew those questions would arise on my Accelerated Reader tests. This problem of asking known-answer questions undermines the opportunity for children to demonstrate their understanding of what they read. There is no expectation to grasp meaning, to comprehend- simply an overemphasis on reciting facts. This issue stems from not teaching proper comprehension strategies and not holding children accountable through meaningful assessment. It consequently runs deeper into other subjects in the curriculum. Of my own education experience, I realize that I never knew how to "learn" until college. My studying strategies were filled with memorizing pages of notes and making flash cards- remembering at its finest. I only hope that I can help foster a different experience for my future students.

A better way to assess reading understanding!