6. Types of Comprehension

          Comprehension involves memory, cognition and metacognition. Memory is the storing and then recalling and retrieving of thoughts and feelings. Cognition and metacognition are recognized as being lower-and higher- level thinking. Comprehension is the use of one´s memory and these leveled thinking processes with the ability to understand or have knowledge about something. It is the main goal of education. We want students to gain an understanding of things. Thinking is recognized through “comprehension” to produce “understanding”.

 

         Comprehension may or not be verbalized, but regardless of this, it is demonstrated through things said, or actions and behaviors in three applications, which include the following:

  Literal is “fact-based” evidence of comprehension. For instance, “ warm-ups must be  carried out at the beginning of the class”

 Applied is “comparison and contrast comprehension”, resulting from making connections to one´s own experience, read or heard material. For example, “after reading some information about warm-ups, I think that they are essential for starting a class successfully.”

  Implied is “inferential comprehension”, based on context or illustrative material being presented in oral, visual, or tactile formats. For instance, “after observing some classes, I have come to think that classes are more interesting and successful when warm-ups are carried out since students are cheered up and full of energy to continue learning.”

         Undoubtedly, students gaining meaningful learning is the main goal of education. Furthermore, we, as teachers, want our students to comprehend and understand content so that they put their knowledge into practice in real life situation. We teachers need to focus on our students´ meaningful learning as this is more important than mechanical learning. Meaningful learning is for all our lives; meanwhile rout learning will be forgotten by the students in a short period of time.