Concept Attainment…

…can be thought of as game of ‘find the rule.’ Concept Attainment is a ‘backward conceptualizing’ approach to making sense of new ideas. It is a teaching strategy characterized (in terms of thinking patterns of the learner) by “a pattern of decisions in the acquisition, retention, and utilization of information that serves to meet certain objectives” (Bruner et al 1956). [Teach Thought]

 

I love this approach to teaching & learning!

Jennifer Gonzalez,  author of the ‘Cult of Pedagogy‘ blog,  describes Silver, Strong, and Perini’s (2007) research behind concept attainment as a successful strategy, which fosters both student engagement and a greater understanding of the learning material,  because as humans we are naturally inclined to organize our experiences around observed similarities.

While watching the above video (and looking through other examples) I found myself wondering what it would feel like to participate in concept attainment as a class member, looking at ‘yes’ and ‘no’ examples and discussing the differences and similarities while trying to define the focus concept.  I also thought about how, as a teacher, you would go about successfully creating a concept attainment lesson, the examples that you would choose and how you might engage students in a constructive interaction while not giving the answers away…so interesting!!!

“Learning how to learn is Life’s most important skill” – Tony Buzan

 

Resources::

Alberta Ministry Of learning. Concept Attainment

Focus on Inquiry: A teacher’s Guide to Inquiry-based Learning,  Alberta Ministry Of Learning, 2004.

Silver, Strong & Perini. (2007) The Strategic Teacher: Selecting the Right Research-Based Strategy for Every Lesson.

Wonderopolis – is a great resource for starting an inquiry//asking Big questions!!