1. Utilizing Concept Formation & Concept Mapping with Inspiration Investigated by Joe Herz, Kim Harrison, Chris Clark, & Kevin Baker

2. Background n Students in a freshmen high school computer class have varying degrees of prior knowledge relating to computers and their components

3. Problem Statement n Traditional delivery system was determined to be ineffective in students being able to organize, interpret, and connect new information.

4. Goal n Our group wanted to find an alternative and effective instructional strategy to help our students understand the components of a computer and how they work together.

5. A Possible Solution The teacher will utilize concept formation and concept mapping in the program Inspiration to create an effective lesson in which students are actively involved in their learning.

6. The Presenters n Kevin –Introduction n Joe –The Research n Kim –Tool –Strategy n Chris –The survey –Our questionnaire –Closing statements n Group –Defending our project

7. 1. Concept Formation as a Teaching Strategy Concept Formation Research 1. Concept Mapping as a Learning Strategy 1. Visual Literacy in Teaching and Learning 1. Inspiration as a Visual Concept Formation and Mapping Tool

8. Thinking 1. Thinking is an inductive process that can be taught. 1. Thinking is an active transaction between the person and the data. 1. Processes of thought evolve by a sequential learning of thinking skills. (Taba, 1966)

9. Inductive Thinking Inductive Thinking requires a logical, sequential mental process of creating categories and using the categories. Using Concept Formation... n Data is collected (listed) n Data is organized (categorized) n Data is manipulated (labeled in categories) n Data is utilized (Taba, 1967)

10. Concept Formation as a Strategy of Inductive Thinking n involves the recognition that some objects or events belong together while others do not. Concept formation… n requires learners to decide the basis (similarities) on which they group objects or events. n requires learners to build categories based on the groupings.

11. Learning n The act of learning is the act of receiving, categorizing, and remembering new information. (Park, 1995) n The learner needs a variety of strategies to store and retrieve knowledge. (Weinstein & McDonald, 1986)

12. Engaging n How information is presented has an effect on what is learned. (Weinstein & McDonald, 1986) n Once engaged, knowledge is no longer passively received, but is built by the learner. (Wheatley, 1991) n The learner must find themselves engaged in activities that help them handle the new knowledge in an efficient manner.

13. Strategy n Understanding occurs when prior knowledge is related to what is being presented. (Wheatley, 1991) n A strategy that supports connecting prior knowledge to new concepts is concept mapping. (Novak & Gowin, 1984; White & Gunstone, 1992)

14. Relationships n The linear nature of text can inhibit the process of expressing concepts, ideas, and relationships. (Thornburg, 1998) n When students construct concept maps, they identify and define important concepts or ideas and graphically represent interrelationships among concepts. (White & Gunstone, 1992)

15. As a Result... A concept map becomes... an engaging tool to link concepts a spatial organization of new knowledge.

16. Concept Formation Concept Mapping Making the Connection

17. (Taba, 1971) The Sequence of Concept Formation is… Students identify and list data from their experience, which relate to the concept under investigation Data is grouped according to common characteristics or relationships determined by the students, and reasons for their groupings are given Students label their groupings with a word or a phrase Students are asked to subsume items under other labels or combine groupings under more inclusive categories Students explore alternative ways of grouping and labeling based on different characteristics and relationships

18. The Sequence of Concept Mapping is… Students label groupings with a word or a phrase Selecting key concepts Writing concepts Making a list of the characteristics of the key concepts Relating key concepts in spatial a relationship Rearranging these spatial relationships until they form a meaningful structure

19. The Synthesis Concept Formation Concept Mapping Identify concept characteristics Select key concepts List and group the data Write the key concepts Label their groupings Organize by characteristics Combine groupings under more inclusive categories Relate key concepts in a spatial relationship Explore alternative ways of grouping and labeling based on different characteristics and relationships Rearranging these spatial relationships until they form a meaningful structure

20. Concept Formation Concept Mapping Making the Connection Visual Learning

21. Visual Literacy n Surrounding our need to process an ever increasing amount of visual information, there is an emerging movement for development of visual literacy skills. The case by Seels (1994, p. 99) as follows: –“With visual literacy-the ability to both understand and make visual statements-we become sensitized to the world around us, the relationships and systems of which we are a part. Visual literacy integrates personal experience with imagination with social experience, technology and aesthetics.”

22. Applying Visual Literacy n There is an extensive literature on the application of visual literacy skills... successfully used in the teaching of organizing data. n Some examples are the use of... concept mapping as a learning strategy (Buzan, T.,1995)

23. Concept Formation Concept Mapping Making the Connection Visual Learning Inspiration

24. Goal and Objective n Goal- –Students will understand the components and the relationship of the components of a computer system. n Objective- –Students will recognize that some objects or events belong together while others do not.

25. Presentation n Students will be given time to research the Internet to add to their knowledge. n As a class, students list information about computers. n Students are divided into small groups with the task of listing more information about computers. n As a class, students will add additional information about computers.

26. Teacher Focus Areas n Naming the groups: input, output, network, storage, processing, structural, hardware, electrical, and circuit. n The independent and interdependent function of the components within the groups. n The dependency and sequencing of component functions to complete a job and that removing them from the sequence will stop the job.

27. Research Design n Qualitative Research –Survey using a questionnaire –Lickert scale-forced choice questions n Hypothesis –Using Inspiration to teach a concept formation lesson will result in students having a more complete understanding of the interrelatedness of computer components and will positively effect their sense of involvement in the lesson.

28. Questionnaire n The following questionnaire will be presented to the students to determine the effectiveness of the strategy, Concept Formation, and the tool, Inspiration.

29. For Inspiration – http://www.inspiration.com/theory.html http://www.inspiration.com/theory/mapping.html For Concept Mapping – http://cedir.uow.edu.au/CEDIR/overview/overviewv4n2/ferry.html http://www.coe.missouri.edu/~vlib/matthew.htm http://bioactivesite.com/elemsci/lecturehall/sci_ed_practices/sld016.h tm http://ksi.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/articles/ConceptMaps/CM.html - Abstract Bibliography

30. For Concept Formation – http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/k12/livetext/docs/semantic.html http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/policy/incel/section_3.html http://www.mastnet.net/~kbertsch/inductive.html#syntax http://www.dushkin.com/connectext/psy/ch08/conform.mhtml For Visual Leaning – http://www.curtin.edu.au/conference/ASCILITE97/papers/Mclou ghlin/Mcloughlin.html http://www.curtin.edu.au/conference/ASCILITE97/papers/Mclou ghlin/Mcloughlin.html