Pedagogical Approach
Teaching for UnderstandingWIDE World's professional development programs are based on Teaching for Understanding, a research-based, classroom-tested framework developed at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This framework integrates the elements of effective teaching and is focused on building learners' capacity to apply their understanding in thoughtful and flexible ways:
- Curriculum topics that are engaging and focused on important ideas (Generative Topics)
- Clear goals that publicly state what is most important for learners to understand (Understanding Goals)
- A rich sequence of learning activities that develop and demonstrate students' understanding of these goals (Performances of Understanding)
- Ongoing assessments, based on public criteria related to goals, that clarify how to improve teaching and learning (Ongoing Assessment)
All WIDE World courses incorporate these elements into their design and several courses specifically help teachers use the Teaching for Understanding Framework to guide the design of curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
Technology for Developing Communities of LearnersWIDE World programs demonstrate how to use new technologies to strengthen teaching and to build reflective, collaborative learning communities. Participants in our online courses exchange ideas with experienced coaches and peers and have the opportunity to join an online international community of innovative educators.
