What Are the Relationships Among Standards, Assessments,and the Structure of Content? by Ruby L. Payne, Ph.D

In order for teachers to understand the content they are teaching, they need to understand that there are basic units of the subject matter that are built upon. These basic units are the building blocks of the content which over time are linked into a greater understanding of what is being taught. Dr. Payne breaks content into the "what", the "why" and the "how". She states that too often, teachers spend too much time on the "what" and not enough time on the "why". As a math teacher, I find it absolutely necessary for the students to understand the "why". The "how" is how the information is applied to practical situations. My students like to ask when are they going to use what they are learning in the "real world". I make sure I have that information for them so they understand that what they are learning is important.

As teachers we need to sort out what the students need to learn from what they do not need to know. Students will retain information longer if they are taught the"why". Most teachers already use the "what" and the "how". Dr. Payne includes her lesson plan model which includes the how, what, why and also stresses the use of Mental Models when teaching. She also stresses the importance of daily assessment. She provides sample rubrics.

In my class, we had to write a lesson with her model. I found it very similar to the way we write our plans.