Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Specific
Concepts
Nature of
Concepts
Concept Teaching
MAMMALS
Examples: Non-Examples
Dog Snake
Cat Ant
Squirrel Jellyfish
Cow Tree
NATURE OF CONCEPTS:
CRITICAL/NON-CRITICAL ATTRIBUTES
Critical Attributes are features of a concept that
distinguish it from all other objects.
Non-Critical Attributes are features found on
some, but not all, members of a category.
Attributes of Birds
Critical Non-Critical
Feathers Feather Color
Warm-Blooded Ability to Fly
Feet Webbed Feet
THEORISTS:
JEAN PIAGET
Stages of Cognitive Development
Sensorimotor (0-2 yrs.): Begin to recognize objects
Preoperational (2-7 yrs.): Develop language; able to
think symbolically; see others Point of View
Concrete Operational (7-11 yrs.): Able to solve
concrete problems logically; able to classify
Formal Operational (11-15+): Able to solve abstract
problems logically
THEORISTS:
JEAN PIAGET
Believed people adapt to their environment
through assimilation and accommodation.
Assimilation- Trying to understand new information
by adapting it to what is already known (pre-existing
schemata).
Accommodation- If new data does not fit into pre-
existing schemata, development of new schemata for
the new data.
THEORISTS:
JEROME BRUNER
Three distinct modes of learning:
Enactive Mode Learning by doing
Iconic Mode Learning by forming mental images
Symbolic Mode Learning through a series of
abstract symbols or representations
As children develop, less emphasis is placed on
doing and more is placed on the abstract
PLANNING FOR CONCEPT TEACHING:
SELECTING CONCEPTS
Curriculum is the primary source for new
concepts
Concept lessons should be taught if materials
contain:
Unfamiliar terms
Unknown steps
New Rules
Concept Attainment
Example-to-Rule Begin with examples/non-
examples, students discover concept through
inductive reasoning
Labeling and defining come at the end
Higher level thinking; more useful with older
students
PLANNING FOR CONCEPT TEACHING:
DEFINE THE CONCEPT
Identify the concepts name
List critical and non-critical attributes