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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