Frank Smith (1992:35) comments:
A … continual and commonplace characteristic of the brain is understanding (or comprehension, which is the term psychologists and educational researchers employ when they want to make the everyday phenomenon of understanding into a special set of skills; the two terms are as synonymous as any two words can be – the dictionary defines understanding as comprehension and comprehension as understanding).
I disagree to some extent that the terms, 'comprehension' and 'understanding', are synonymous. Understanding is the process of following anther's thoughts or ideas, whereas comprehension is using those idea to develop further understanding whilst drawing your own conclusions.
Psychologists debate argue whether understanding can be considered the same thing as 'internalisation'. Understanding in reality is not just something which only moves inward, it is applied, practised and transferred to others. It is somewhat misleading to assume that understanding travels from the outer world across a boundary into the inner world. Full understanding requires information to be reapplied.
I do not experience my own understanding as something completely 'internal', especially as a teacher - I gain full understanding when information is recycled and passed on, this 'tests' how much knowledge I absorb. This is a way in which my own understanding is established collectively (and therefore, in some sense, externally).
