Implications for Online
Education
Rather
than rote memorization, the concept attainment model encourages students to
analyze a series of examples and discern the salient characteristics common to
all examples. According to March (2000), the key to making this learning
strategy work is to have a large number of examples that illustrate the critical
attributes of the concept in a variety of representations. Finding suitable
examples is often difficult in a traditional classroom. The online classroom,
however, has access to numerous sites that exhibit the essential attributes of
the concept being investigated. According to March, online educators can
effectively implement the concept attainment strategy by seeking web sites that
contain exemplars such as galleries, databases, video, web logs, and so on. The
key is to have enough examples so that students can see varying presentations of
the concept's critical attributes. The Web-and-Flow Online Help web site (2003)
recommends a minimum of 3 sites and a maximum of 12, with between 6 and 9 as the
ideal number. In addition, this web site recommends that the educator include
“perturbing”
links –
that is, non-examples that students can contrast with the positive examples.
Concept Attainment Lesson Plan
|
|
Teacher's Role |
Students' Role |
|
Phase 1. Planning |
§
Choose the concept. Identify the critical attributes of the concept. A
critical attribute is always associated with examples of the concept.
Irrelevant features vary across examples.
§
Select positive and negative examples of the concept. Positive examples
are real instances of the concept that make the definition concrete.
Negative examples help put boundaries of the concept.
§
Sequence examples in a logical order that advances definition of
concept. |
|
|
Phase 2. Present Data
and Identify Concept |
§
Present labeled examples and non-examples.
§
Inform students that all positive examples have one idea in common.
§
Explain that students' task is to develop a hypothesis about the nature
of the concept. |
§
Compare examples and identify the attributes in the positive and
negative examples.
§
Generate and test hypotheses.
§
Name their concepts and state the definition of their concepts,
according to its essential element. |
|
Phase 3. Test Attainment of Concept |
§
Confirm or reject students' original hypothesis.
§
Encourage revised thinking, as necessary. |
§
Test their attainment of the concept by correctly identifying additional
examples of the concept, and then by generating their own positive
examples. |
|
Phase 4. Analyze Thinking Strategies (Metacognition) |
§
Direct students' attention toward the analysis of their concepts and
their thinking strategies.
§
Teach students the concept attainment model. |
§
Describe their thought processes.
§
Discuss the role of hypotheses and attributes.
§
Discuss the type and number of hypotheses. |
