Teaching for Understanding Through Concepts
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At its core, understanding means being able to do something new with what you already know; applying knowledge and skills in different contexts. It’s more than recalling facts; it’s using learning in meaningful ways beyond tests or assessments.
True understanding is shown through action when learners:
- do something to use their understanding
- apply and transfer their understanding to new contexts
Understanding is active.
Simply recalling information or mastering a skill isn’t enough as AI can deliver knowledge faster than we can.
The refreshed New Zealand Curriculum rightly centres on the framework Understand, Know, Do, recognising that students must make sense of their world. True understanding grows through concepts and the development of conceptual understandings.
We can work in partnership to address:
- Student lack of engagement and motivation for learning
- Unpacking the NZC Understand, Know, Do framework and work with the Understand strand
- Planning programmes of learning to support students to develop their understanding through concepts
- Developing strategies and tools to assess understanding
- Developing a school-wide curriculum collaboratively that shifts from a fact-based curriculum to a curriculum focussed on understanding through concepts which has coherence across the year levels.
- Any other issues relating to students developing understanding of their world
Planning our package
Together we would plan a package collaboratively considering your school’s mission/vision, values, strategic goals and concepts of local importance. We would evaluate the on-going success of the process as we move forward.
Some ideas of ways to work together:
- Keynote presentations
- Working with senior leadership to plan the process and create a way forward
- Workshopping with senior leaders, team leaders and/or planning teams
- Teacher Only Day workshops with whole staff
- Staff meetings
- Team planning sessions
- Buy my book
Kate’s deep expertise in the importance of Teaching for Understanding, along with her clear, practical approach to planning, has helped teachers develop a structured and effective process for both teaching and assessing understanding.
I always leave Kate’s workshops with a deeper understanding of what it truly means to design and implement a conceptual curriculum—and why it matters. Kate has an exceptional ability to explain complex ideas in a way that just makes sense.
What I value most is that my colleagues and I always walk away with practical, actionable strategies tailored to our context. We’re not expected to start from scratch or overhaul everything we’re doing. Instead, Kate helps us build on the strong foundations we already have, making small, sustainable changes that are both manageable and impactful.
She is a thoughtful listener with a refreshing sense of humour, and her workshops are both empowering and highly motivational.
Emma Burns
Curriculum Coordinator
American International School of Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh city
Vietnam
My Passion
My passion is to ensure that every student develops understanding of their world and has access to an education of high expectations with the opportunity to succeed at the highest level. My approach is practical, strengths-based, and grounded in the greatest respect for education and teachers at all levels.  I have a deep belief that every learner has the potential to succeed and that by elevating leadership and curriculum, we create the conditions for that success to flourish.
