Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” This quote is widely attributed to Albert Einstein. Regardless of whether he actually said it or not, it contains a pertinent point about how we teach reading - and the difference between learning to read and reading to learn.

In schools, the focus on developing word-reading skills can overshadow the need to ensure that pupils read with understanding and to recognise when they do not.

When it comes to acquiring new knowledge, they need to be able to read with a deep level of comprehension. One of the most widely accepted models for understanding comprehension is Walter Kintsch’s construction-integration model (1986).

Teaching literacy in schools: The importance of comprehension

Kintsch posits that reading comprehension has three levels. First, the reader recognises the words the text is constructed from. Second, the reader draws information from the text and their knowledge base to form a basic understanding of the ideas and events. But it’s the third level that makes all the difference. Here, the reader constructs a “situation model”, engaging deeply with the text by making inferences, and elaborating on ideas and events to create a rich understanding.

The more we read, the further our situation model develops, suggest researchers Cervetti and Wright (2020), who say that we need to think of knowledge as a network of associations that shift continually during reading. As a student reads, they refine and develop this network, shifting their understandings, and adding nuance and depth to their knowledge. They can then draw on this enhanced knowledge when reading.

It also seems that different types of knowledge support the comprehension process in different ways. Topic knowledge (knowing a lot about the subject of the text) can have a big impact. It helps with recall, producing summaries and creating inferences that connect information across a text, allowing the reader to create an overview and comprehend the text at a level that supports learning.

Wider domain knowledge (knowing about a broader subject not precisely related to the text) has a more varied impact on comprehension; sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn’t (Cervetti and Wright, 2020).

“World” or “general” knowledge can be more useful when reading non-fiction texts but seems to have less impact on the understanding of fiction. Also, students remember more and have better comprehension when reading texts that reflect their personal and cultural backgrounds.

Yet having knowledge alone does not guarantee comprehension (especially for younger readers). Activating that knowledge is key. And where it is lacking, comprehension strategies, such as being able to identify specific parts of the text that are confusing, can provide a route to understanding.

So, having knowledge does not mean that students will automatically use it when reading - we have to show them how to do this through the use of practical strategies.

Of course, knowledge matters - the more you know, the more you can learn - but only when you also have the know-how.

Megan Dixon is director of research at Holy Catholic Family Multi-Academy Trust

This article originally appeared in the 9 July 2021 issue under the headline “What part of ‘know’ don’t you understand?”