Blythe, T. (1998). The teaching for understanding guide. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
A very practical, teacher-oriented guide to teaching for
understanding as developed by David Perkins and his colleagues.
Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R.R. (Eds.). (1999). How people
learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, D.C.: National
Academy Press.
The results of a two-year review of the research on
teaching and learning, conducted under the auspices of the National
Research Council.
Bransford, J.D., with the Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt. (in press). Adventures in
anchored instruction: Lessons from beyond the ivory tower. In R. Glaser
(Ed.), Advances in instructional psychology (vol. 5). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
This chapter analyzes some of the learning from the interactive, multimedia project conducted by the Vanderbilt University group.
Brown, A.L., & Campione, J.C. (1996). Psychological theory and the design of
innovative learning environments: On procedures, principles, and systems.
In L. Schauble & R. Glaser (Eds.), Innovations in learning: New
environments for education (pp. 289-325). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
A
description and analysis of the “community of learners” approach.
Bruer, J.T. (1994). Schools for thought: A science of learning in the
classroom. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
An informed layperson's view
of how ideas from cognitive psychology can improve student learning.
Cassidy, J., & Cassidy, D. (1998/1999, December/January). What's hot, what's
not for 1999. Reading Today, 1, 28.
This annual survey of key topics in
reading research and practice appears in the bimonthly newspaper of the International Reading Association (http://www.reading.org), a 90,000-member professional organization that also publishes this e-journal.
Donahue, P.L., Voelkl, K.E., Campbell, J.R., & Mazzeo, J. (1999).
NAEP 1998 reading: Report card for the nation and states. Washington, DC:
Department of Education.
A summary of this report and the text of the full report are
available at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/main1998/1999500.shtml.
Goodman, M., Lazer, S., Mazzeo, J., Mead, N., & Pearlmutter, A. (1998).
Research report: 1994 NAEP U.S. History Group assessment. Washington, DC:
Department of Education.
A summary of this report and the text of the full report are available at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/main1994/98533.shtml.
Graves, M.F., & Graves, B.B. (1994). Scaffolding reading experiences:
Designs for student success. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon.
Describes and gives examples of a flexible instructional framework to assist
students in understanding, learning from, and enjoying individual selections.
Hogan, K., & Pressley, M. (Eds.). (1997). Scaffolding student learning:
Instructional approaches and issues. Cambridge, MA: Brookline.
A strong collection of descriptions of different sorts of scaffolding.
Newmann, F.M., Secada, W.G., & Wehlage, G.G. (1995). A guide to authentic
instruction and assessment: Vision, standards and scoring. Madison, WI:
Wisconsin Center for Educational Research.
An overview of Newmann's
authentic instruction approach.
O'Sullivan, C.Y., Reese, C.M., & Mazzeo, J. (1997). NAEP 1996 science:
Report card for the nation and the states. Washington, DC: Department of
Education.
A summary of this report and the text of the full report are available at
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/96report/97497.shtml.
Perkins, D. (1992). Smart schools: From training memories to educating
minds. New York: Free Press.
A well-written, engaging, and
comprehensive consideration of teaching for understanding.
Perkins, D. (1993, Fall). Teaching for understanding. American Educator. Available online at http://www.21learn.org/cats/testing/perkins.html.
Perkins, D., & Blythe, T. (1993). Putting understanding up front. Educational
Leadership, 51(5), 4-7.
A concise description of Perkins' approach to teaching for understanding.
Press, F. (1984, May 30). Address delivered at the annual commencement convocation, School of Graduate Studies, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH.
Resnick, L.B. (1987). Education and learning to think. Washington, D.C.:
National Academy Press.
A brief but very powerful discussion of higher level thinking and its importance.
Ryder, R.J., & Graves, M.F. (1998). Reading and learning in content areas
(2nd ed.). New York: Wiley.
Parts of the description of Perkins' approach are taken with permission from this text. The webpage for this book, part of John Wiley & Sons' website, describes its contents, which include a chapter on teaching for understanding.
Snow, C., Burns, S., & Griffin, P. (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in
young children. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press (NAP).
The NAP website devotes a page to this widely publicized National Research Council review of research relevant to beginning reading instruction (http://www.nap.edu/catalog/6023.html). Included are a description, reviews, and links to the full text of the publication, one of more than 1350 books that NAP makes available online.
Wiggins, G. (1989). The futility of trying to teach everything. Educational
Leadership, 47(2), 44-48, 57-59.
The title of this article describes it well. Here,
Wiggins highlights one of the premises behind the teaching for understanding
perspective.
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
This is the basic description of Wiggins and Tighe's approach to teaching for understanding.
Wiske, M.S. (Ed.). (1998). Teaching for understanding: Linking research with
practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
A detailed look at teaching for
understanding by the participants of the Harvard Teaching for
Understanding research group.
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