Understanding Level of Teaching

June 23, 2022 November 10, 2022

Meaning of Understanding Level of Teaching

Understanding level of teaching is that teaching which seeks to acquaint students with the relationship between generalization and particulars-between principles and solitary facts which show the uses for which the principles way be applied.

Teacher is trying to keep his introduction of an understanding level. if he succeeds, his students will be able to identify cases in which a given rule applies and thinness the rule as a guide. The same kinds of results are obtained when we teach rules or spelling rules for dividing fractions or rules repairing a motor or theories of physics and chemistry.

Models of Understanding Level of Teaching

This also known as Morrison's model of teaching. Morrison has developed this model of teaching. The paradigms of teaching consist in five aspects; focus, syntax, social system, support system and evaluation system.

(1) Focus:- The main focus of understanding level teaching is to have the mastery over the concept. This model is idea centered. It provides substantial knowledge or subject matter and to encourage adaptive. responses or true adoption.

(2) Syntax:- The structure of understanding level teaching involves five steps exploration, presentation, assimilation, organization and recitation.

Step 1. Exploration: It consists of three operations:

(a) It involves testing, questioning to explore initial learning of the students. It provides apperceptive sequence, where he should start.
(b) It intends to assist teacher to arrange subject matter in psychological sequences.
(c) A third role of explorations orientation of teacher to decide how is a new unit to be approached or presented.

Step II. Presentation: It includes three activities:

(a) Teacher presents the new content into small units, he attempts to maintain continuous rapport with the students in the class.
(b) The teacher tests the students to diagnose or observes how many students fail to grasp the presented content.
(c) If necessary, the presentation is repeated. Teachers should not proceed towards the new unit Until most of the students fully understand. Some material can be presented three times. Teacher is more active in this step.

Step III. Assimilation: At the end of presentation a test is administered, when students have passed out the test of presentation. Teacher moves to assimilation:

(a) The purpose of assimilation is the roughness of subject matter.
(b) The students are more active in this steps. They do much work. assignments and to consult source material.
(c) The work of the student in this step is highly individualized.
(d) The assimilation period basically is the time of supervised study. The teacher and students are more active.
(e) The main object of assimilation period is for students to see numerous particulars in relation to the generalization on which the unit is based.
(f) A mastery test is also administered at the end of assimilation. It students can not pass the test, they are asked for further assimilation.

Step IV. Organization: An organization provides an apperceptive sequence. When student passes a mastery test and thus terminates a period of assimilation and moves towards the organization step. It involves the following operations:

(a) Organization step is to determine whether he can reproduce the essentials of the unit in writing with out any help.
(b) This step is especially essential inspects of extensive content which include a large number of elements in one learning unit.

In certain subjects such as arithmetic, mathematics and grammar the written reproduction of an unit is possible. The student can move directly from assimilation to recitation.

Step V. Recitation: A student can move to the last step directly from simulation in certain subjects and also when the organization terminates. It includes the following activities:

(a) Each student presents orally before the teacher, his classmates in condensed version of the understanding taught in the unit.
(b) Morrison plans for mastery recitation. He plans daily recitation.
(c) Recitation may take the form of a written paper.

(3) Social System:- Teacher should be cautions enough to see that he should not be authoritarian. He should be democratic in teaching in the classroom. He has to act as a leader of the group. His main job is to guide and motivate students. His efforts should be of discovering and mastering the truth. His behaviour should be flexible, dynamic and full of human touch. He should have full faith in the learners. These are the essential qualities of a teacher who has the ability to organize teaching at this level.

The source of motivation at this level of teaching is not only extrinsic but also intrinsic and personal involvement of a teacher. Teacher's job is to create a need among the students to acquire understanding of new concepts. In presentation and assimilation steps, teacher should encourage the students with verbal praise and approval of their correct responses. Teacher can arise the level of aspiration of students as well as the class as a whole.

(4) Support System:- This system should be helpful to make this model more effective and goals may be achieved. The teaching aids should be used at persecution stage so that it may not be repeated several times. The audio-visual aids and other devices may be used for an effective presentation.

This system is much more useful at assimilation stage. The subject-matter can be gathered from various sources. The programmed instruction material may be provided to the learners, because this stage is highly individualized. The teacher's proper supervision is very essential at the stage of assimilation. The learners should be given an opportunity to practise the learnt material according to their own.

(5) Evaluation:- The organization and recitation provides an evidence about the effectiveness of this model. The essay and objective type tests are used for evaluting the out comes of this model. The multiple choice and analogy type items are best items for measuring the understanding of the students. Mastery recitation is an evidence for the support of this model of teaching.

Tips for Teaching at Understanding Level

Teachers should be sympathetic towards the students and they should be given the necessary freedom.
After the memory level, the teaching of the understanding level should be arranged.
Each step should be passed in a sequential manner.
Students should be motivated.
Raise the aspiration level of the class.
Problem solving should be done according to the education system.

Criticism of Teaching at Understanding Level

The following are the limitations and characteristics of the model of understanding level given by Morrison:

The problem with this teaching system is that it emphasizes on ownership of the content itself, not taking into account human behavior.
Morrison has considered the teacher's engrossment in the subject matter as the motivation for schools, whereas psychological motivation can prove to be more effective than this.
With the ownership of the content, development of the cognitive and emotional aspects of the students can not be done but only the cognitive side can be developed.
This model of teaching given by Mr. Morrison is considered to be an effective model from the psychological and practical point of view.
Through this model of teaching, the students can be made aware of the content in depth. Therefore, pure learning takes place by this model.

Characteristics of Understanding Level Teaching

Effective learning,
Interesting learning,
Development of cognitive abilities,
Helpful in teaching-learning of thinking level,
Maximum return.

Merits of Teaching at Understanding Level

The teaching at Understanding level may be credited with the following good points:

Understanding level teaching helps the students in the acquisition of the facts or information more effectively than the memory level.
It helps them to learn generalized rules, principles or theories built up on the basis of individual facts or special examples.
Understanding level teaching trains and equips them for acting more intelligently in proceeding on the path of learning.
Understanding level teaching through the generalized insight equips the students with a mental kit of rules and principles.
It provides opportunity for the organised and systematic teaching best suited for the existing schools situations of our country.