Copyright 2003 – Biz/ed The Nature of Threshold Concepts and their Importance in Teaching and Learning Andrew Ashwin Biz/ed Content Developer DEBE 2005

Copyright 2003 – Biz/ed The Nature of Concepts A general idea derived or inferred from specific instances or occurrences – classify or categorise entities, events or relations Bearers of meanings – not always specific – e.g. house

Copyright 2003 – Biz/ed Acquiring Concepts Concept Formation –Experimentation –Experience –Exposure Concept Assimilation –Presented –Pre-ordained –Pre-defined Criterial attributes

Copyright 2003 – Biz/ed Thinking like an economist Is there such a thing? If so what does it look like? Consider these two problems:

Copyright 2003 – Biz/ed In McDonalds breakfast meals are served until 10.30am Explain why McDonalds does NOT offer an all day breakfast menu Do you think the breakfast meal is more or less expensive than other meals? Assume you have a mobile telephone which was broken. You have had it repaired without any guarantee for £50. The telephone breaks once more and you have received an estimate for fixing it again, this time with a guarantee, for £25. Would you pay to have the telephone fixed for £25? Would you pay to have a new telephone if the price was £75? (Source: Reimann and Jackson, DEBE 2003)

Copyright 2003 – Biz/ed Types of Knowledge Ritual – routine, without true meaning or understanding Inert – understood but not used as part of everyday experience Folk Economics – the intuitive economics of the untrained person –Sees life as a zero-sum game –Confusion –Misimpression –Misunderstanding –e.g. confusion of price and cost

Copyright 2003 – Biz/ed Threshold Concepts Akin to a portal – opens up the learner to new ways of thinking Five characteristics: –Transformative –Irreversible –Integrative –Boundedness –Troublesome

Copyright 2003 – Biz/ed In Economics? Long term growth and the supply side Real and nominal values Cumulative causation (e.g. the multiplier). Comparative advantage Opportunity cost The margin Incentives Partial equilibrium The failure of the market to meet social objectives

Copyright 2003 – Biz/ed Threshold Concepts Not as many in economics? A Threshold concept must: –Adhere to the five characteristics –Be an expression of a relationship- or a property of a relationship –Be a stepping stone to full understanding –Be necessary to think like an economist

Copyright 2003 – Biz/ed Implications: How do we design materials? How do we approach teaching and learning? How do we develop assessment? How do we design courses?

Copyright 2003 – Biz/ed Andrew Ashwin Content Developer Biz/ed: