Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom by H. Lynn Erickson & Lois A. Lanning & Rachel French

Author:H. Lynn Erickson & Lois A. Lanning & Rachel French
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Published: 2018-01-03T14:36:26.235570+00:00

Did you build some of the “understanding” (generalization) language into the assessment to support students’ mental bridging to the conceptual level?

Questions and Answers on Unit Design

As teachers work to design Concept-Based units, questions continue to arise. This section addresses some of those concerns:

How can I identify appropriate concepts for my grade level or course? Answer: Academic standards provide many of the concepts that are required for your grade level subject as well as the content under study in each curriculum unit. You will need to recognize the difference between a topic and a concept in the standards. Science standards are replete with concepts, as are mathematics standards. Trust your own professional abilities to identify the concepts for your grade or course. Remember, concepts are timeless, universal, abstract to different degrees, and have different examples with common attributes. List the major topics you teach in a subject, and then brainstorm the concepts that you work with under each of those topics. Collaboration and dialogue with other colleagues enriches this exercise. Dig deep into microconcepts. The microconcepts are what differentiate depth of understanding from grade to grade. In the intermediate grade levels, we teach concepts such as ecosystems, habitats, predators, and prey. But in secondary schools, we deal with such specific concepts as niches, parasitism, and commensalism. Disciplinary concepts in the secondary school increase in complexity, specificity, and number. The generalizations you teach toward need to use microconcepts to develop increasing expertise.

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