the end is the beginnig of the end

''Instead of thinking of contents stuff to be covered , consider knowledge and skills as the means of addressing questions central to understanding key issues in your subject''

It would be interesting to try  this revolutionary approach  at school level having the kind support of the whole  school community. Challenges of this nature are necessary and vital for teachers in order to improve our teaching and Assessment practices as well.
A not easy task to carry out, but with proper support  would be achievable.
Starting for having clear what is the purpose of what the students need to undersatand which will  lead the other elements of the learning process on the right track.

Essential Questions: Essential questions to understandings.

''Essential questions offer transferability across disciplines linking not only units and courses in measurement and statistics, but also subjects as diverse as engineering, pottery and music''

This is quite interesting and worthy to have a look at. Most of teachers develop their labour  mainly devoted  to their subjects, which in this case is English. But some of them have to deal with the not always easy task of teaching English in connection with another subject directly.

From this point of view this sentence which reflects how different subjects can connect through essential questions and I dare to add, effective questions as well.This process of transferring question and knowledge might contribute to a deep understanding from part of the pupils. 

seconds later........

I think that very few of us actually ask ourselves something regarding aims and assessment practices, or how the first affects the second. How do you ask yourself those kind of questions if you barely have time to explain the activities, deliver the material and keep the class working???

Understanding by Design, Grant Wiggins.Chapter two.

''But as we shall see, the irony is that though we all claim as teachers to seek student understanding of the content, we may not adequately understand this goal''

I ask myself, after reading the first pages of this chapter, if do we really ask ourselves what are the goals of our day a day lessons and clasess, that is to say the purpose of teaching what I'm supposedly should be teaching. What I think is the book trying to say is that, we know and are aware of the fact that students need to understand something, the content, but we do not know what is the purpose of that understanding.