The Understanding Map originated from the early work of the Visible Thinking Project and built off of the ground breaking work that Harvard Project Zero researchers did into Teaching for Understanding. It continued to evolve as part of the Artful Thinking and Cultures of Thinking projects. The goal was to identify the types of thinking that were necessary to build understanding. While certain types of thinking might be more useful in one instance or another, teachers who seek to develop understanding in their students ensure that they engage with each of the eight thinking moves over the course of a unit.