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Concept Attainment
The Definition
“Concept attainment is ‘the search for and listing of attributes that can be used to distinguish exemplars from nonexemplars of various categories” (Joyce, Weil and Cahoun, 2000, p.146).
Concept Attainment
Instructional Strategies
Step 1Tell students that they will be puzzle solving to discover a concept. Then briefly describe the process
Concept Attainment
Step 2Present paired exemplars (one negative and one positive) one pair at a time. Throughout this process instructor records students’ hypotheses about the nature of the concept.
Concept Attainment
Step 3When students’ hypothesizing sufficiently converges on the true nature of the concept, instructor names & clarifies the concept.
Concept Attainment
Step 4
Instructor tests for concept mastery by presenting some additional exemplars or non-exemplars for students to label
“Yes” (it is an example of the concept) or
“No” (it’s not an example).
Concept Attainment
Step 5Students come up with additional examples based on their new knowledge of the concept.
Concept Attainment
Demonstration with iMET Class
Positive Exemplar
“Education is the gateway to success.”
Negative Exemplar
“His dreams
faded like
a lover’s sigh.”
Concept Attainment
Positive or Negative Exemplar?
Positive Exemplar?
Negative Exemplar ?
“All the world is a stage.”
Concept Attainment
Positive or Negative Exemplar?
Positive Exemplar?
Negative Exemplar ?
“Her hand was as cold as ice.”
Concept Attainment
Incorrect!
Positive Exemplars
“Education is the gateway to success.”
“All the world is a stage.”
Concept Attainment
Positive and Negative Exemplars
Positive Exemplar
“Education is the gateway to success”
“All the world is a stage”
Negative Exemplar
“His dreams faded like a lover’s sigh”
“Her hand was
as cold as ice”
Concept Attainment
Write down your thoughts on the attributes of
each group. Can you make a hypothesis about
the categories? Let’s try one more…
Concept Attainment
Positive or Negative Exemplar?
Positive Exemplar?
Negative Exemplar ?
“A browser is a doorway to the Internet.”
Concept Attainment
Correct
Positive Exemplars“Education is a gateway to success.”“All the world is a stage.”“A browser is a doorway to the Internet.”
Concept Attainment
Positive and Negative Exemplars
Positive Exemplar
“Education is the gateway to success.”
“All the world is a stage.”
“A browser is a doorway to the Internet.”
Negative Exemplar
“His dreams faded like a lover’s sigh.”
“Her hand was as cold as ice.”
Concept Attainment
Testing for Concept Mastery
• Instructor gives additional examples; students label these “yes” or “no”—metaphor (yes), simile (no).
• Instructor then asks students to suggest their own examples of metaphors—This will provide insight as to whether the students have mastered the concept.
Concept Attainment
Common Questions…
• Doesn’t this take more time than just telling students the name and definition of the concept?
• Yes, concept attainment takes more class time and planning time. For these reasons, instructors like to save the process for very important concepts with which students tend to have difficulty.
Concept Attainment
Questions Continued…• Then why do it?
• Content mastery increases. • Retention in long-term memory vs short term• Students relish discovery process• More interesting and motivating• Encourages creative and critical, higher-order
thinking.
Concept Attainment
More Questions…• What if they discover the concept too
quickly, after one or two pairs?• Don’t know for sure that they’ve discovered
the correct concept.• More pairs will continue to refine their
understanding
• Are there other ways to use the model?• You can give them all the pairs at once (on a
handout). This can speed up the discovery process.
Concept Attainment
ReferencesLinks
www.usask.ca/education/coursework/mcvittiej/methods/conatt.html
http://schools.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/cattain/ www.virtualschool.edu/mon/Academia/Metaphors.htmk www.saskschools.ca/~techclass/instru/strats/cattain www.Education.nebrwesleyan.edu/mcdonal/235website/
ppt/conattainment/index.htm www.riverbank.l12.ca.us/rhs/gravity/review/htm www.lovinlearning.org/imet-final/Concept%Attainment.ht
m www.Curriculumfutures.org/instruction/a02-05.html
Concept Attainment
References
Dyer, Jim. (2001). Planning lessons with concept attainment.. February 13, 2003. http://dyer.ifas.ulf.edu/classes/AEE5206/Concept_Attainment/Concept%20Lesson%20Plan.doc.
Joyce, B., Weil, M., & Calhoun, E. (2000). Attaining concepts: Sharpening the basic thinking skills. In Models of teaching (pp.143-160). Boston, MD: Allyn and Bacon.