When we come across some concept or information we try to understand that. What do we mean by understanding? Does learning requires understanding?
Understanding is meaningful learning. There appear to be three components to understanding:
• Knowledge (meaning)
• Relationship
• Similarities and differences
You need to know about a subject in order to understand it, but mere knowledge is not enough. It is a prerequisite, but not a definition of understanding. For example, we might memorize a map, yet we still could get lost! (Because you are unable to apply the knowledge).
I like these related quotes:
“Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach.”
― Aristotle
“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”
― Albert Einstein
Understanding is meaningful learning. There appear to be three components to understanding:
• Knowledge (meaning)
• Relationship
• Similarities and differences
You need to know about a subject in order to understand it, but mere knowledge is not enough. It is a prerequisite, but not a definition of understanding. For example, we might memorize a map, yet we still could get lost! (Because you are unable to apply the knowledge).
I like these related quotes:
“Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach.”
― Aristotle
“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”
― Albert Einstein
Thank you, Anup for this very good question. As far as I remember what I have read in the past, some authors think that understanding has to do with intentions and intentionality.
Another point might be that understanding is different when it is concerned with
a) individual facts or individual phenomena, - or with
b) generalizations. I will try to get more information.
A person may be knowledgeable, but it is another thing whether one knows what one's knowledge means. Everybody knew that when one enters into bath tub, body replaces water, but what does it meant to what uses this knowledge can be put, only Archimedes understood it.
Understanding of sentences:
A famous old definition is this:
To understand a sentence is to know what would be the case, if the sentence were true.
This counterfactual conditional makes it possible that we understand wrong claims, too, and that we realize that they are wrong. Otherwise we could not compare assertions to states of affairs.
@ Behrouz. I agree with you that understanding is meaningful learning.
@ Prof.Behrouz Ahmadi-Nedushan, and @ prof.Martin Schulz -answers all are very interesting and i also agree with the statements.
Understanding is meaningful learning. When the person understanding the concept he will apply and create new thing.
Can we describe understanding as follows? For a given subject we accept few axioms. We define this set of axioms as understood set. Then for every new piece of information belonging to that subject we try to establish as many links as possible with the elements of the understood set such that the related information may be derived or at least justified from those elements. Upon establishing such links we include the information into the understood set. We define all the elements belonging to the understood set as the understood elements. Possibly, the number of links that may be established for a given piece of information can be regarded as a measure of understanding.
To understand some thing is to deeply know it. Is to be able to tell about or to tell about other similar things, by mentioning the similarity points, and to tell about other different things, by mentioning the difference points. Understanding something is being able to analyse it and the issues related, and to say what will happen, what will change if an input is changed. If you understand something you can explain it easily to people with different levels of knowledge,freely by your own words. It is gentle teachers' gentle question to students after conducting a lecture to ask: Is it clear ? Have you all understood?
Dear @Anup, your subquestion "Does learning requires understanding?" is a major issue of the following Harvard's article :"What is Understanding? A Deeper Look"! Furthermore, "...While knowledge and skill can be translated as information and routine performance on tap, understanding slips by these simple standards."!
http://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps/tfu/info1b.cfm
David Ausubel, a pioneer in studying this type of learning, pointed out that two things are necessary for understanding to occur:
(1) the content must be potentially meaningful, and
(2) the learner must relate it in a meaningful way to his or her prior knowledge.
For potentially meaningful knowledge to become meaningful knowledge to a learner, it is usually, according to Ausubel, subsumed under a broader, more inclusive piece of meaningful knowledge closely related to it.
Understanding of the concept "sonnet" is enhanced when we learn that it is a kind of poem (assuming we understand what a poem is).
The key to understanding, it appears, is relating it to appropriate prior knowledge
http://www.indiana.edu/~idtheory/methods/m6c.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ausubel
To me understanding is a complex series of communicating and analyzing event that ensures the proper targeting or transmitting a specific command or knowledge to the target audience or learner.
Understanding not only justifies the skill sets who understood, it also ensures the capacity of understanding for one who is transmitting the knowledge or giving the command.
In their seminal' Understanding by Design' series, Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe discuss the evasiveness of the term "understanding". The two authors provide what they call "6 Facets of Understanding". In this system, learners prove they "understand" if they can:
1. Explain
2. Interpret
3. Apply
4. Have perspective
5. Empathize
6. Have self-knowledg
-------------------------------------------------------
Understanding by Design, by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, December 28, 2001.
@Issam,
As far as I understand your very interesting post (without having read Wiggins/McTighe) acting puts us in the situation to understand more – I hope I got this right. Here is something, that might go in this direction, too: What do you think about this claim:
Our understanding should make a difference in our behavior.
Is this convincing? Can you think of exceptions? Is it relevant anyway?
I can tell a little bit more about it, but I want to wait until you others intervene….
@ Martin
Of course understanding has an influence on our behavior, let me give you an example: you could be having a discussion with somebody and because of misunderstanding you feel offended and this immediately is reflected in your response( behavior )- some may even become aggressive. I agree fully with the claim that understanding does make a difference in our behavior. Understanding in fact has an influence that goes beyond behavior, it shapes our personality and characters. Can you imagine a couple living under one roof without some kind of understanding? Their lives will be a living hill! This applies equally on a bigger scale such us countries too, no understanding can lead to conflicts.
It certainly is relevant as I showed you some examples and I cannot imagine an exception to this claim.
Dear Issam,
Thank you for your convincing example. Can the understanding of logical truths be a counter example? E.g. I once understood Peirce’s law but now I am not able to explain it anymore. If forgot it. This will only make a difference when I am actually asked. So for a change in my behavior something else will be needed: a particular question.
The background of my question is the so-called antirealism of Michael Dummett. I would have to look at it again to make a correct excerpt - but roughly speaking he was saying that questions that cannot be answered are senseless in that our knowledge cannot be manifested. An example was the sentence: “On his third birthday Caesar woke up lying on his stomach”.
Anyway this cannot be the whole story because there is so much irrelevant information that will not change anything in our behavior. (E.g. TV news about princes and marriages).
I guess the solution is that this information is at least able to change anybody’s behavior on any occasion. (The prince’s behavior?).
Dear Issam and Martin,
From your discussion a doubt came to my mind. Don't you think the understanding between a couple and understanding a concept are different?
Dear Anup,,
I think you are right. But isn’t it also an answer to your question? So we might have two kinds of understanding - with words and without words?
comprehension, apprehension, grasp, grip, mastery, perception, discernment, appreciation, interpretation, cognizance, ken, conception, digestion, assimilation, absorption
@Anup
The concept of understanding is a big topic:
"So what is understanding? In a phrase, understanding is the ability to think and act flexibly with what one knows. To put it another way, an understanding of a topic is a "flexible performance capability" with emphasis on the flexible. In keeping with this, learning for understanding is like learning a flexible performance - more like learning to improvise jazz or hold a good conversation or rock climb than learning the multiplication table or the dates of the presidents or F=MA. Learning facts can be a crucial backdrop to learning for understanding, but learning facts is not learning for understanding."
Surely, the concept of understanding includes not only understanding of topics but also understanding between individuals, different cultures, religions and nations.
Understanding is a tested generalized insight. It is a meaning or discernment that one may profitably apply to several or even many similar, but not necessarily identical, situations or processes. The most valuable insights are those confirmed by enough similar cases to be generalized into an understanding. A student understands any object, process, ideas or fact if he/she sees how it can be used to fulfill some purpose or goal. The outcomes of a collection of understandings are generalizations, theories, generalized insights, general ideas, concepts, principles, rules and/or laws.
Dear Issam,
Though my field of interest is not philosophy I could get hold of the write-up ""What Is Understanding?" by David Perkins where from the paragraph is quoted. As I found the article, mainly discussed about the understanding of a "topic". Could you please suggest me some reading material related to "understanding between individuals, different cultures, religions and nations".
Regards
Dear Anup
The quote clearly states "....In keeping with this, learning for understanding is like learning a flexible performance - more like learning to improvise jazz or hold a good conversation Or..."
Can you hold any type of conversation, good or bad, without having at least two individuals? A good conversation implies dialogue and some kind of understanding and if this applies to individuals surely it must also applies to all aspect of life/societies including religions, cultures and nations.
I have 'deduced/inferred' this from the quote above and didn't read it in any particular reference.
Literature in Mathematics education distinguishes between different kinds of understanding: rational and instrumental types of understanding; or operational and structural; or procedural and conceptual understanding. I tried to give five features of conceptual understanding of mathematical concepts. If you are interested in more information, you could maybe read the following article.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281399561_Conceptual_Understanding_of_Dot_Product_of_Vectors_in_a_Dynamic_Geometry_Environment?ev=prf_pub
Best wishes,
Ana
Article Conceptual Understanding of Dot Product of Vectors in a Dyna...
Thank you Ana for your input. I have gone through your paper. It does give insight about conceptual understanding.
Anup
Dear Anup
It's strange isn't it? Your question "What is understanding" itself requires understanding!
Understanding require understanding, I wounder if we can really be able to fully answer your question.
Dear Issam ,
It is (not) really strange that I could not understand your input. Possibly it is too philosophical.and philosophy is not my cup of tea.
Regards
Anup
Man is a rational animal & how there rationality within us come to focus without understanding .As a human being for every action of our life whether of family problems ,social problems or our career development for our working process without any understanding we can not move further.
Understanding is a day to day a part of our every action of our life .In such situation we are also observing in certain cases of individual which we feel that they are lacking in understanding in such cases we our self find the difference between person & person . We have also noticed that individual who are lacking in understanding for which we also feel that such individual are lacking common sense .
Understanding is important for every persons so that they may draw a line of demarcation .
Understanding is co-related to associations and links to a specific topic. If I understand some thing I know many of all what is linked with it.
Ljubomir,
"Very often context matters in process of understanding!"
If in the linked map of all associations the links would be colored the context is the color for the trace you should follow.
Dear Anup
You asked the question: "What is understanding?",
and I answered:
"It's strange isn't it? Your question "What is understanding" itself requires understanding!
Understanding require understanding, I wounder if we can really be able to fully answer your question."
Your response to my answer was:
"Dear Issam ,
It is (not) really strange that I could not understand your input. Possibly it is too philosophical.and philosophy is not my cup of tea."
My reply to your response above is:
Dear Anup,
You may not realize it but you just confirmed what I said:"
"It's strange isn't it? Your question "What is understanding" itself requires understanding!
Understanding require understanding, I wounder if we can really be able to fully answer your question."
Regards
Issam
Understanding is the power of abstract thought or intellect or comprehension
Agreed with other scholars' sharing on what is "understanding". Want to add that understanding is not just head knowledge but rather be able to do / deliver result based on different scenarios / requirements. As what Confucius (551-479BC) had shared, "I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand".
Understanding is a kind of mental simulation.
If we understand something we are able to retrace or to anticipate the behavior in many different situations.
The beauty of the holonic understanding of reality!
"Ultimately, our understanding of reality is shaped by generalisations which subconsciously are derived from the contemporary society.
The holonic philosophy states that reality can be understood as autonomous interacting units on various levels..."
http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/Lescure20151113
Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less. ~ Marie Curie
Understanding is comprehending how things are caused.
Understanding is generated by perceiving how things interact to cause a thing or situation to exist. When we say ‘I understand’ what we mean is that we are aware of what elements are interacting to cause a particular situation to exist.
For example, if we say we understand climate change, we mean that we are aware of the manner in which all relevant elements interact to cause climate change.
Understanding is important because it allows us to create and influence/control things and situations by changing the relevant causal relationships e.g. we understand how to influence climate change by reducing carbon emissions.
The attached figure shows knowledge, understanding and wisdom
http://www.leadapreneur.com/blog/using-knowledge-understanding-and-wisdom-to-be-a-better-leader
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” ― Marie Curie
Dear colleague
Assessing understanding might be the most complex task an educator or academic institution is tasked with. Unfortunately, professional development gives a lower level of attention to developing quality assessments, training that is rarely commensurate with this complexity. The challenge of assessment is no less than figuring out what a learner knows, and where he or she needs to go next. In other words, what does a learner understand?, . This in itself is an important shift from the days when curriculum was simply delivered regardless of the student's content knowledge.
Regards
Dear @Saed, you do practice plagiarism! Why?
"Assessing understanding might be the most complex task an educator or academic institution is tasked with. Unfortunately, professional development gives a lower level of attention to developing quality assessments, training that is rarely commensurate with this complexity. The challenge of assessment is no less than figuring out what a learner knows, and where he or she needs to go next.
In other words, what does a learner understand?
This in itself is an important shift from the days when curriculum was simply delivered regardless of the student's content knowledge..."
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/slippery-notion-assessing-understanding-terry-heick
I posted this question in connection with understanding in higher education. Can I say that if one can derive a concept from his/her previously stored knowledge then he or he/she has understood the concept.
Understanding is knowing precisely what the things or concepts we want to know, as misunderstanding is not knowing what the reality of a thing or a concept we wanted to consider but instead we take our own wrong representation and ended up in failing.
- To insert a nail into a piece of wood the following procedure is suggested.
- Step 1. Hold the nail vertically so that the sharp end touches the piece of wood.
- Step 2. Hit on the head of the nail with a hammer.
- Student who learnt by (memorization) will be able to reproduce the procedure on the answer script but will be unable to apply the same successfully.
- The one who developed his skill without understanding will be able to insert a nail into a piece of wood if and only if hammer is available
- When hammer is not available a student who learnt by understanding will try to find out some thing ( may be a piece of stone) to use it as a hammer.
Many interesting answers above but I agree more with the detailed explanation of Prof. Behrouz Ahmadi-Nedushan.
Regards
SM Najim
In many posts I can read that understanding is a kind of learning.
Understanding is more than learning. I can learn something but do not understand it. Learning means only the possible reproduction of a process or an information.
Understanding is much deeper. When I understand something I have meaningful associations which lead to a result like in the understood concept. This may be the translation of a sentence or the functioning of a technical device, a philosophical idea, a scientific theory, a mathematical proof or any other concept.
Learning something in its right sense and essence is understanging.
"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning." - Albert Einstein
"True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, & the world around us." - Socrates
According or consensus in a matter. It is necessary to teach and to learn well.
Dear @Anup, the AI technology may check and boosts understanding!
Inquisitive bot asks questions to test your understanding!
We study automatic question generation for sentences from text passages in reading comprehension. We introduce an attention-based sequence learning model for the task and investigate the effect of encoding sentence- vs. paragraph-level information. In contrast to all previous work, our model does not rely on hand-crafted rules or a sophisticated NLP pipeline; it is instead trainable end-to-end via sequence-to-sequence learning. Automatic evaluation results show that our system significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art rule-based system. In human evaluations, questions generated by our system are also rated as being more natural (i.e., grammaticality, fluency) and as more difficult to answer (in terms of syntactic and lexical divergence from the original text and reasoning needed to answer)...
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2130205-inquisitive-bot-asks-questions-to-test-your-understanding/
https://arxiv.org/abs/1705.00106
Many facets to answering this question, but one I haven't seen mentioned: to understand why and how a given outcome occurred, one needs to engage in counterfactual thinking in order to get a good grasp of where that outcome is located on the spectrum of contingency and necessity. Was it bound to happen? Or it could have easily been otherwise?
For an elaboration of this point, see this short paper:
Article Beware of contingency
understanding is the abilitve to think and act with what one knows. To put it another way, an understanding of a topic is a "flexible performance capability with emphasis on the flexibility.
For details , you can visit the following link;
http://psych.unl.edu/psycrs/974/TFU.pdf.
Understanding is to understand the meaning and deal with it realistically . visit the following link for more details: https://jaymctighe.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Teaching-for-Understanding.pdf
"To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to"- Kahlil Gibran
Understanding is meaningful learning. It is usually contrasted with rote learning (memorization), although it is also distinct from skill application and generic skill application. Understanding is probably the least studied and least understood type of learning within the cognitive domain. It is an area which is currently receiving a lot of attention by learning psychologists.
https://grantwiggins.wordpress.com/2014/04/23/conceptual-understanding-in-mathematics/
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