"Teaching for Understanding" Welcome to Enumclaw Middle School. We started our year as staff with this statement above. Our most important work at EMS is most simply described as "Teaching for Understanding". The difference between knowledge and understanding is based in the application of the knowledge gained. There was a day when we were considered pretty successful if we managed to give kids enough of the right kind of knowledge (information) to pass whatever required tests we had. If they put the seat time in and studied hard enough and supplied the right answers to the test, they could be pretty confident that they would be successful in school. The key here is that it wasn't necessarily a requirement that they understood (or be able to apply) what it was they were learning. Our work today focuses on teaching this knowledge base in such a way that it has value to students beyond the test, even beyond the classroom. Their ability to use the subject area knowledge in ways that they can construct meaning that represents deeper understanding of what is taught is critical for their success today.