Staff Development Rio Tierra Junior High School

Naomi Johnson John Murray Elvia Sanchez Terry Barber

Topic: Concept AttainmentTopic: Concept AttainmentUsing Deductive and Inductive thought

to learn in a meaningful way

Presenters:

What is Concept Attainment?

A method of teaching important concepts Uses deductive and inductive reasoning

Promotes critical thinking May be used for any subject Technology can assist in concept

attainment

Three Examples

John Murray - Social Studies Elvia Sanchez – Language Arts Terry Barber - Living Skills

Example 1

Social Studies

John Murray

Example 1: Social Studies

Concept: States’ rights doctrine Rule: An argument that state power

should be greater than national power because the states ratified the Constitution that created the national government

Example 1: Social Studies

1. States created the national government; therefore, power comes from the states.

2. State power is supreme--not national power.

3. Since state power is supreme, states may nullify federal laws.

Critical Attributes:

Example 1: Social Studies

+ South Carolina nullifies a federal tariff

+ Massachusetts ignores the Fugitive Slave Law

- After Congress creates the national bank, Maryland establishes a state bank

+ Georgia ignores the Supreme Court’s ruling in Worcester v. Georgia; forcibly removes thousands of natives

Exemplars for Driving the Concept:

Example 1: Social Studies

1. California ignores federal drug laws and allows medical use of marijuana

2. North Dakota allows growth of industrial hemp, despite federal law

3. Texas starts its own space program

4. Thirty-seven states pass articles of impeachment against the president

Exemplars for testing and confirming

Test Results

Example 1: Social Studies

Class 2 concept attainment model

averaged 70% correct

Class 4 concept attainment model

averaged 68% correct

Class 5 definition and one example

averaged 73% correct

Class 6 definition and one example

averaged 73% correct

Example 2

Grammar

Elvia Sanchez

Example 2: Grammar

Phase I: present labeled examples Phase II: identify labeled examples Phase III: discuss role of hypotheses

and attributes

Exemplars Non Exemplars On a trip After many years During their stay Outside the door

A long trip Many years later The trip to the mall A door is broken

Example 2: Grammar

Exemplars or non exemplars?

1. In front of the garbage cans

2. Behind the first place winner

3. Walking around the gallery

4. Listening to the radio

5. To the railroad museum

Example 2: Grammar

Answer Concept: prepositional phrases Rule: Prepositional phrases begin

with a preposition Supplemental Technology:

PowerPoint http://www.funbrain.com/grammar/index.html

Example 2: Grammar

More advanced: Exemplars Non Exemplars

To the supermarket To laugh at myself Sleeping cat Smiling brightly In the garden

Where the car is When you know As they walked in How she remembered If he says so

Answer: Concept: Phrases Rule: Phrases do not have both a verb

and its subject

Example 2: Grammar

Example 3

Living Skills

Terry Barber

Example 3: Living Skills

Concept: Poor Working Conditions Rules:

The condition could affect the workers production The worker has no ability to change the situation The condition is harsh

Supplemental Technology: PowerPoint Internet research assignment

Example 3: Living Skills

+ Joan’s boss often stands behind her and uses obscene language to get her to work faster.

- Lillie likes going to work because her boss is respectful to her.

+ Susan is afraid of being fined by her employer for talking at work.

- Jack is confident his boss will allow him to leave work early if he has some important business to take care of.

Phase 1: Identify Examples

Example 3: Living Skills

+ Joan gets headaches because the lights are too low in the factory where she works

+ Fred works about fourteen hours a day and has no choice about whether or not he works that long

- Frank feels energetic after work and has plenty of time for hobbies, friends, etc.

- Billy gets breaks every couple of hours to relax and regain his strength; he gets an hour for lunch

Phase 1: Identify Examples (Cont’d)

Example 3: Living Skills

Phase 3: Students label examples __ Cheryl has to share one bathroom with a couple

hundred other workers and a family of rats.__ Judy’s company has heat in the winter and air

conditioning in the summer. __ Fred gets a raise at least once a year based on

his performance.__ Shaka often sees some of the workers arguing

and fighting each other at work.

Phase 2: Confirm Concept

Example 3: Living Skills

Describe your idea of a poor working condition.

What did you think the concept of poor working conditions was initially?

What gave you the most clues? What strategy did you use to find the

answers? How can you use this thinking for other

problems?

Phase 4: Ask Questions for Assessment

Resources Pritchard, Florence Fay. 23 July 1994. Teaching

Thinking Across the Curriculum with the Concept Attainment Model.

Nelson, Mike; Pan, Alex. Oct 1995. Integrating the Concept Attainment Teaching Model and Videodisk Images.

Johnson, Julie. 01 Jan 1992. Developing Conceptual Thinking: The Concept Attainment Model. Clearing House, Vol v66, Issue Nov-Dec