Designing Instruction for Concept Learning Dusting off the cobwebs from decades of theory and research Dr. Gary Morrison and Jennifer Maddrell - Old Dominion University AECT Louisville, KY - October 28, 2009 Photo Source:

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 & Austin A Study of Thinking 1960s Gagné The Conditions of Learning Markle Good Frames and Bad 1970s Joyce & Weil Models of Teaching Merrill & Tennyson Teaching 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 Klausmeier Concept Learning and Concept Teaching 2000s Jonassen (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 ClassGroupSetCategory

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 Discrimination Instance Generalization 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 Presentation Guide Learner Practice

Research suggests a definition alone is roughly as effective as a single set of examples and non- examples. Klausmeier & Feldman (1975)

AttributesVary Critical (necessary) Variable PropertiesObservedRelateFunction Define Based On Attributes

Actual Object Model of Object Words or Symbols Create Instances

InstancesRational 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) InstancesRational Sets Examples / Non-examples Prototype Central Example HowInquiry Learner Speculates ExpositoryLearner 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: