Deep understanding
Do the work and response of the students provide evidence of depth of understanding of concepts or ideas?
For students, knowledge is deep when they develop relatively complex understandings of these central concepts. Instead of being able to recite only fragmented pieces of information, students develop relatively systematic, integrated or holistic understandings. Mastery is demonstrated by their success in producing new knowledge by discovering relationships, solving problems, constructing explanations, and drawing conclusions.
Students' understanding of important concepts or issues is taken to be superficial when ideas are presented by students in a way which demonstrates that they only have a surface acquaintance with the meaning. Evidence of shallow understanding by students exists when they do not or can not use knowledge to make clear distinctions, arguments, solve problems and develop more complex understandings of other related phenomena.
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Almost all of the students demonstrated understanding involving the coverage of simple information which they are to remember.
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Students' deep understanding is uneven. Deep understanding of something, by some students, is countered by superficial understanding of other knowledge (by either the same or other students). At least one significant idea may be understood in depth, but in general the focus is not sustained.
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Almost all students do at least one of the following: sustain a focus on a significant topic; or demonstrate their understanding of the problematic nature of information and/or ideas; or demonstrate complex understanding by arriving at a reasoned, supported conclusion; or explain how they solved a complex problem. In general, students' reasoning, explanations and arguments demonstrate fullness and complexity of understanding.
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A year 12 Art class worked collaboratively on a submission to design a 3-D installation for a public space with a youth theme.
The collaborative nature of the task required extended dialogue between students and the teacher to develop shared ideas, concepts, themes and design elements. Because the installation was planned for a public space, local government officers were also consulted. The students demonstrated complex understandings of each stage of the project: the specifications of the design brief, the time frame of the project, the sourcing of materials and the preparation of the application.
Their final proposal was supported by reasoned and creative explanations of its aesthetic and functional appeal.
In the class we observed there was very little teacher direction. Students were clearly engaged in the project in ways that demonstrated their complete understanding of what was expected of them. They were able to provide an insightful artistic explanation of their work.
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