Teaching for Understanding:

An Education for the Future

Understanding is one of the most persistently honored goals of education-but on closer examination, what does that mean? How do we define "understanding," and more importantly, how do we know whether or not students have really understood important curriculum topics? In this workshop, we will talk about what's worth understanding and how to help students go beyond a merely superficial grasp of ideas and topics, particularly in contexts where the demand for "curriculum coverage" is high. Participants will learn about (and have the chance to apply) elements of the Teaching for Understanding framework, an approach developed through sustained research at Project Zero, a research group based at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Over the past twenty years, the Teaching for Understanding framework has been used around the world by teachers at every education level (early childhood, primary, secondary, and university) to shape learning experiences that help students move beyond simple memorization to actively building their understanding of topics and concepts in the curriculum.

About the Trainer – Ms Tina Blythe

Tina Blythe is the Project Director for Project Zero's online learning collaboration with the Independent Schools of Victoria. She is part of Project Zero's online learning development team, developing, facilitating, and assessing Project Zero online professional development courses. She is also the Education Chair of Project Zero's summer institute, "The Project Zero Classroom," and Lecturer on Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Central to her research and teaching is how to create and sustain learning environments—for students, teachers, and administrators, in both face-to-face and online contexts—that support deep learning, thinking, and understanding. Collaborative inquiry and the collaborative assessment of student and teacher work are key focuses of her work.

In addition to her work at Project Zero, Tina serves as education advisor for the Silkroad, an organization founded by cellist Yo-Yo Ma to promote innovation, learning, and cross-cultural understanding through the arts. For twelve years, she was a faculty member and the Director of Faculty Development at the Boston Architectural College. She began her career more than three decades ago as a middle and high school teacher in urban public schools.

A researcher at Project Zero since 1988, Tina has participated in more than a dozen research grants, including: Teaching for Understanding; Practical Intelligence for School; ATLAS Communities (a collaboration with the Coalition of Essential Schools, the School Development Program, and the Educational Development Center); the Massachusetts Schools Network (a collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Education); The Evidence Project; WIDE World Online Learning; Project-based Learning in Afterschools (a collaboration with the New York City Afterschool Program Network); The Creative Classroom (a collaboration with the Disney Development Corporation); Making Learning Visible; and the Storywork Project (a collaboration with the International Storytelling Institute).

Tina is the co-author of a number of articles and books including Facilitating for Learning: A Guide for Teacher Groups of All Kinds (Teachers College Press, 2015); Looking Together at Student Work, 3rd Ed. (Teachers College Press, 2015); The Facilitator's Book of Questions (Teachers College Press, 2004); Teaching as Inquiry (Teachers College Press, 2004); and The Teaching for Understanding Guide (Jossey-Bass, 1998; translated into Spanish, Chinese, Swedish, and Georgian).

Registration Details

Course Code: TB20211122

Topic: Teaching for Understanding: An Education for the Future

Trainer: Ms Tina Blythe

Date: 21 - 22 Nov 2022 (2 half days)

Time: 8.30 am to 11.30 am Singapore Time GMT+8

Mode of delivery: via Zoom

Click Here to Register

Closing date: 4 November 2022 Friday

Workshop Fee:

S$200.00.00 per participant. If 2 or more participants from the same school/organization attend the same workshop, the discounted fee will be S$180.00 per participant for that particular workshop. Fees are subject to GST and include all training materials.

Other Information:

Registration is on a first-come-first-serve basis. No refunds will be made for cancellations or in the case of absentees. The Academy accepts replacements for registered participants who are unable to attend for whatever reasons.

School/Cluster-Based Webinar Registration

Please contact Joseph Loy by email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or tel: 6363 0330 on the cost of conducting the workshop.