Have you ever taught a wonderful lesson where you delivered information to your students in an exciting way using time tested methodologies and then been amazed when your students cannot seem to put two and two together on the test? You know they know the facts. You have heard your students recite them to you over and over. However, when you ask them to use the information, to relate the facts to other facts, or to apply the content, they seem to forget everything.

Too often, we teachers focus our instruction on the delivering of facts to students and forget that comprehending facts differs from memorizing them. Comprehension is a skill that requires teaching. As teachers we often are at a loss as to how this can be done. We know how to deliver information, but we have difficutly getting our students to understand it in a meaningful and applicable manner.

The strategies taught in a Solutions, etc. workshop on comprehension are derived from research that shows that comprehension is made up of three basic components - prior knowledge, active learning, and metacognition.

Prior Knowledge
To what extent a person is able to comprehend is based largely on their prior knowledge of the subject. Our prior knowledge colors our view of new information. We naturally relate new facts to those we already know. Right this moment you are relating the words you are reading to your knowledge of their meaning, to your experiences in the classroom, and to your view of education. Many of our students, though, have little to no prior knowledge of the subjects we teach. Therefore, our teaching strategies must include tools to activate or give them the knowledge base they need to comprehend.

Active Learning
The more active and involved one is in the learning process the more one will comprehend. That is why teachers know their subjects so well - we're our not just involved with our subject, we're immersed. Solutions, etc. has ideas ready to share with you that will help you move your students from passive receivers of information to active learners of content.

Metacognition
Metacognition refers to a person's awareness of their own learning. To be able to comprehend one must know what one knows. That sounds redundant, but the reality is that many of our students will sit through our classes and then be unable to tell us anything about what they just learned. Such students need opportunities to exercise their metacognition. Learners with the requisite metacognition skills will be aware of what they have learned, will know what they do not yet fully understand, and will have the tools necessary to better learn that which they do not understand.

When we notice our students having trouble comprehending, we need to take a look at our lessons and ask ourselves the following questions:
1. Does our lesson activate and/or provide prior knowledge?
2. Does our lesson actively engage our students in the learning process?
3. Does our lesson provide our students with adequate time to exercise their metacognition?

We can get our students to comprehend. We can get our students look at two and two and see four. More than that, we must. It is our job as teachers. Solutions, etc.'s team of experienced K-12 educators is here to help you.