Teaching Aptitude — Levels of teaching: memory, understanding and reflective

Overview

Teaching can operate at three levels, each deeper than the last. A good teacher moves learners from memorising facts towards thinking about problems independently.

Key concepts

• Memory level (Herbart): learners recall facts. Teacher-dominated; drill and repetition are common.
• Understanding level (Morrison): learners grasp meanings, principles and relationships. Explanation and examples are central.
• Reflective level (Hunt): learners analyse problems and think critically. It is learner-centred and problem-based.

Important points

• Each level builds on the one below it: you cannot reflect on what you do not understand.
• The reflective level develops independent thinking and suits higher classes.

Quick revision

Memory → Herbart; Understanding → Morrison; Reflective → Hunt.