SOCIAL CONCEPT FORMATION

What is a concept?
CONCEPTS are abstract forms of past experiences. They are general ideas.

Concept Formation

 PERCEPTION: the concept of human beings cannot be conceived if human beings are not perceived,
or if only one human being is essential to the concept formation. Thus comprehensive perception is the
first key towards the formation of the concepts.
 ANALYSIS: it is not possible to identify a man as a human being and as distinct from other living being
unless his characteristics are analyzed. Thus the analysis of human being is essential to the concept of
human beings.
 COMPARISON: analysis of qualities of human beings alone is not enough to form concepts. The
comparison of their qualities is also essential. This comparison supplies us with the knowledge of
similarity and dissimilarity of diversity of human beings.
 SYNTHESIS: this synthesis of similar characteristics is arrived at with the help of subtraction, rather
than addition. Dissimilar characteristics are disregarded in synthesis. Discrimination is needed for the
separation of similar and dissimilar characteristics.
 NAMING: naming every concept is essential. Consequently, after synthesis, each concept gets a
name.
 DURING CHILDHOOD: thinking starts from some problem in it. The children have to exercise their
thinking in order to solve their own problems.

Characteristic of the difference in adult and child’s thinking:

1. From Gross to Subtle Concepts 9. Physical Adjustment

2. Ambiguity of Concepts 10. Questions of the Children
3. Indefiniteness of the concepts 11. Influencing the Child’s Concepts
4. Simplicity of the concepts 12. Defects of the Sense Organ
5. Concept of the whole 13. Intellectual Ability
6. Wrong concepts 14. Opportunities of Learning
7. Various Factors 15. Experience
8. Interest and Attention 16. Influence of Class

THE STRATEGIES
The Concept of Self: The infant develops some type of concept of self at the early age of 6 months.
Between 3 and 4 years of age, the child pays attention to himself. All these are concerned with his inner life.
It is only after gradual development that the child becomes social being in which both these aspects of self
are synthesized.
Concept of Space: The concept of space plays an important role in perception and conception. Even
a small infant can distinguish between here and there, right and left, forward and backward and different
directions. By these experiences he forms the concept of large distance. The distances are inferred by
means of experiences.
Concept of Time: The child lives in the present. Before the age of 3 years, tomorrow has no
meaning for him. Before going to the school, he learns the different names of the days in a week but, before
the age of 12 years, he cannot understand the relation between different times and units of long duration.
Concept of Form and Color: A child below the age 3 years can recognize forms and color. In the
beginning, the child cannot distinguish his parents from other males and females, but very soon he’ll be able
to recognize them. Form and color also helps in the formation of the concept of space. Playing toy is of great
help.
Concept of Number: A child can recite numbers between 2-3 years of age. At the age of 9 years, the
child develops numeral concepts up to 1000.
Concept of Weight: The child connects weights with size and thinks bigger things to have more
weight. Gradually, he learn to distinguish between size and weight and knows that the weight of a thing
cannot be determined unless it is taken up by hand.
Concept of Currency: The concept of currency develops only when the child starts using it. He now
learns to distinguish between different coins and they become meaningful for him.
Concept of Causation: At the very early age the child knows that he has to behave differently with
different persons. By using different things, clothes, etc., and experiencing the consequences of the child
forms the concept of causation. These concepts, however, are concrete. The child cannot think of abstract
causation.
Reasoning and Problem Solving
Reasoning means inference of unknown things on the basis of known facts.
(The following are important characteristics of the reasoning process of the child as compared with that of
the adults.)
1. Imaginary Reasoning- a child takes imaginary reasons to be real
2. Less Subtle Reasoning- the child has lesser experience and knowledge therefore his reasoning
ability is much less developed
3. Reasoning by Trial and Error- a child cannot have much patience in thinking and, therefore, commits
more errors and has less insights.
4. Reasoning according to Desire- the child has no knowledge about rules and therefore reasons
according to his desires
John Dewey described reasoning as a problem solving analyzed it, describing the following steps in
it----
 A Felt Difficulty: An individual starts reasoning only when he is confronted by some specific
problem. Hence, it is essential that he should experience the presence of some particular difficulty
that requires solution.
 Locate and Define Difficulty: The second step in reasoning after the presence of difficulty after
defining it is the location and defining it. The sensible teacher guides the perplexed student to locate
and precisely define the nature of difficulty in any problem.
 Locate, Evaluate and Organize Information: Before an individual embarks on reasoning upon a
problem, it is necessary to see whether one is in position to gather relevant data. Once information
has been gathered, it is essential that it be evaluated because some pieces of information are more
valuable than others. After the information has been evaluated, it should be organized and classified.
 Evaluation of Hypothesis: In solving problems, an individual proceeds by first forming some
hypothesis, and as new information pours, the first hypothesis can then be strengthen or
contradicted, or contradicted in favor of the new hypothesis. After the concept is precisely known,
one’s preconception or hypothesis can be evaluated and decided upon.
 Apply the Solution: Application of solution or inference to solving the problem since then can only
the validity of the inference be actually known.
 The Training: Dewey pointed out the use of problem solving concerning education. For this, it is
needed that the thinker possess a scientific attitude, self-confidence and patience.
 Acquaintance with Problems of Daily Life: Day-to-day life problems help a child to get acquainted
with life’s problems.
 Development of Necessary Qualities: Rational thinking requires experience, intellect, firm
determination and other qualities such as persistence and application. And of these, with the
exception of intelligence, all the others can be developed through effort. Hence, efforts should be
made to develop these in the child.
 Solution to Problems to Practical Utility: Children should be asked to solve problems of practical
utility. Ability to solve such problems can be developed and children should be made aware of the
problems that occur in daily life, inspire to solve them.
 Knowledge of Special Subject: Solution of specific kinds of problems inevitably requires skill in the
appropriate subjects.
 Acquaintance with Environment: Problems on which the student is required to cognitize should
bear relation to his life. And for this, it is essential that he be acquainted with his environment.
 Knowledge of Logic: A study of general principles of logic will be especially beneficial to a training
in reasoning. Briefly, there are two main elements in training in reasoning, knowledge of the subject
concerned with the problem, and the knowledge of the rules of logic or reasoning.

THINKING FOR CREATION

The Meaning: In 1853 Morgan pointed out 25 definitions of creativity scattered in literature. One thing
that was common was the uniqueness of creativity, though all the scientists do not consider
uniqueness to be the necessary characteristic of creativity.
The following definitions of creative thinking will help in the understanding of its meaning----

Guildford: “Creativity sometimes refers to creative potential, sometimes to creative production and
sometimes to creative productivity.”
Mednik: “Creative thinking consists of forming new combination of associative elements.”
 Torrance: “I have chosen to define creative thinking as the process of sensing gaps or disturbing
missing elements, forming ideas or hypothesis, and communicating the results, possibly modifying
and retesting the hypothesis.”
C.V. Good: “The factors of creativity are tentatively described as associate and ideational fluency,
originality, adaptive and spontaneous flexibility and ability to make logical evolution.”
James Drever: “Producing an essentially new product; constructive (somewhat under) use of
imagination where a new combination of ideas or images is constructed strictly when it is self-
initiated, rather than imitated, also of thought synthesis, where the mental product is not mere
summation.”
Sir Frederic: “Creativity is a bold thinking.”
A.J. Cropley: He has considered divergence as the most important.

The Characteristics

1. Commitment Towards Problems

2. Dynamic Thinking
3. Divergent Thinking
4. Useful Results
5. Flexibility
6. Originality
7. Curiosity
8. Ability to go Beyond the Immediate Circumstances

Creativity is truly develop by the help of education, whether it is informal or formal. Thus, the following
are definitions of education----

Western Meaning: The meaning of education in West is essentially available in the works of Plato.
He described that education is life long process starting from the first year of childhood and lasting to the
very end of life.
Education is the process of development. It is necessary to discovered what is implied in this
development. Although the ability to learn depends upon development, but development is not synonymous
with education. Development means gradual and continuous progress of the mind and body. Through this
development, the child acquires the following elements---
1. Knowledge of the environment by which he is surrounded,
2. The necessary motor controls to fulfil his individual needs,
3. Linguistic abilities to enable him to converse, and
4. Some knowledge of individual and collective relationships.

Indian Meaning: In the words of A.S. Altekar, “Education has always been regarded in India as a
source of illumination and power in which transforms and ennobles our nature by the progressive and
harmonious development of our physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual powers and faculties.

The following points concerning the meaning of education emerge from a review of the meaning of
education in the West and India:
1. A Life Long Process
2. Unfolding
3. Based on Child Psychology
4. Individual as well as Social
5. Total Development

1. How do teachers ensure that creativity is practice in the learning environment?

2. How can we implement the “Maka-Tao” of the DepED core values in the development of our learner
through our social concept formation?
3. How can we improve the innate capability of our learner using our Problem solving and reasoning?
4. How will creative thinking affect our learner’s well-being?

Reference: N. Shamsi (2005). Social Foundations of Education.

Prepared by: Aiza U. Jamito/ MST-Mathematics
Submitted to: Alan S. Compe, Ed. D. / Course Instructor –Philo-Socio Foundation of Education