designing instruction for concept learning dusting off the cobwebs from decades of theory and...

Designing Instruction for Concept LearningDusting off the cobwebs from decades of theory and research

Dr. Gary Morrison and Jennifer Maddrell - Old Dominion UniversityAECT 2009 - Louisville, KY - October 28, 2009

Photo Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilsingapore/3187409578/

Instruction for Concepts?

Isn’t this dusty old stuff?

Yes!

… and dusting off the old research is precisely the purpose of our

presentation.

Our Goal in this Review

• Review a range of sources for:– Concept learning and instruction theory– Empirically-based instructional design

strategies

• Examine central views on:– The nature of concepts– Concept learning– Concept instruction

1950s

Brown Words and

Things

Bruner, Goodnow &

AustinA Study of Thinking

1960s

GagnéThe Conditions

of Learning

Markle Good Frames

and Bad

1970sJoyce & Weil

Models of Teaching

Merrill & TennysonTeaching Concepts

Fleming & Levie

Instructional Message Design

Striking similarity in heuristics across theorists

1980s

Tennyson Review of

Educational Research

Park(many studies with Tennyson)

1990s

Tessmer, Wilson & Driscoll

ETR&D Review

KlausmeierConcept

Learning and Concept Teaching

2000sJonassen

(concepts-in-use)

Jonassen, Strobel &

Gottdenker (conceptual

change)

Concept Acquisition | Concepts-in-Use

Remarkable consensus in literature on the nature of concepts.

Markle & Tiemann (1970)

The Nature of Concepts

Concept

Class

Group

Set

Category

A concept category is the grouping of objects, events,

symbols, or relationships while an attribute describes the dimension from which the

objects differ.

Brown (1958)

Concept Membership

• Perceived physical attributes

Concrete

• Solely by definition

Abstract

Concept Learning Measurement

Views of Concept Learning

Concept Attainment

Attribute Isolation

Instance Discriminati

on

Instance Generalizati

on

Concepts-in-Use

Problem Solving

Model-Building

Attribute Isolation

Discern relevant grouping criteria

Define attributes of concept category

Consider nature of instances

Judging Instances

• Learner judges what is and is not a member of the class

Instance Discrimination

• Learner judges new examples based on degree of class membership

Instance Generalization

Meaningful Learning

(Conceptual Change)

Relationship with other Concepts

Focus on Mental

Representations

Elicit and Assess

Conceptual Models

Concepts-in-Use

Concept Instruction Heuristics

Define the Concept

Create Instances

Design the Presentatio

n

Guide Learner Practice

Research suggests a definition alone is roughly as effective as a single set

of examples and non-examples.

Klausmeier & Feldman (1975)

Attributes

Vary

Critical(necessar

y)

Variable

Propertie

s

Observed

Relate

Function

Define Based On Attributes

Actual Object

Model of Object

Words or

Symbols

Create Instances

Instances

Rational Sets

Examples(all critical)

Non-examples(all but 1 critical)

Exemplar

Prototype of Category

Central Example

Presentation

EGRUL or RULEG

Definition(RUL)

Concrete (RULEG)

Examples(EG)

Abstract (EGRUL)

Instances

Rational Sets

Examples / Non-

examples

Prototype Central Example

How

Inquiry Learner Speculates

Expository Learner Told

Summary of Heuristics

• Define the concept– Focus on attributes of concept– Consider both critical and variable attributes

• Create instances– Examples: Include all critical attributes– Non-example: All but one critical attribute– Prototypical (central) example

• Design presentation and guided practice– Give learners opportunities to classify new instances– Use the concept to make arguments or judgments

or to infer relationship or membership

Thoughts from Review

• Theoretical foundations differ• Design heuristics strikingly similar• Differences based on objective of

instruction– Concept Acquisition / Attainment– Concepts-in-Use (Conceptual Change)

• Rich research base for designers and researchers … until 1990s

Nagging Questions

• Where is the recent concept research?• To what degree are traditional concept-

teaching heuristics building blocks to meaningful learning outcomes and application?

• What is the influence (and limitation) of concept-in-use methods on concept learning?– Concept maps–Model building

Is there more to study on concepts?

(Tell us what do you think.)

Presentation and Paper at: http://DesignedToInspire.com/drupal/aect2009