ABSTRACT
Education has typically dealt with the problem of understanding only in terms of the mechanics of reading, that is in terms of learning which words go with which printed strings of letters. The two chapters by Just and Carpenter, Chapter 13, and by Simon and Hayes, Chapter 14, deal with the problem of understanding in two quite different ways, both distinct from the mechanics of reading. If Simon and Hayes are correct that the difficulties adults have in reading are deeper than the mechanical level, then surely it would be worthwhile to teach people understanding skills as well as reading skills. So if it is possible to analyze understanding in deeper terms than the mechanics of reading, the implications for education should be important.
