1. Concept Attainment Lori Mattes, Joanna Daehling, Willie Pattillo, Terri Richter, Shirley Hansen

2. CONCEPT ATTAINMENT Concept Attainment was developed by Hilda Taba and focuses on strategy ( inductive thinking) as opposed to procedure.

3. Taba’s Curriculum includes seven major strategies Today we will only be working with one. Attaining Concepts

4. The strategy begins with the teacher presenting to the students : A mixed up group of examples and non-examples of a concept.

5. Students then observe, discuss and list the attributes of each until they develop a tentative hypothesis about the concept.

6. This is a circle. These are circles.

7. These are not circles. This is not a circle.

8. Positive examplesNegative examples Through discussion children list the attributes of the examples that make them different to the non-examples.

9. After the lesson then it is time to assess. Did the children make a generalization as to what a circle is? Is their hypothesis correct?

10. Is this a circle?

11. The hypothesis is tested again and might need to be amended to satisfy all of the attributes.

12. A circle is……… This strategy allows children to develop increasingly precise definitions of the concept.

13. Teachers should have thought in advance the generalizations formed so they can lead the children to specific concepts or generalizations. Goal: Children with learn through the process of classifying and inferring.

14. This process works not only for children …..but us adults as well!

15. Today we would like to ask you To participate in a concept attainment process.

16. Our group’s quest has been not only to attain the concept of : Determining valid web sites for student use.

17. But to also figure out all of the attributes that make up that concept.

18. A circle has a well- defined attribute. Circles do not have sharp corners…it is one continues line.

19. What attributes must a web site have for it to be a valid for student research use?

20. On the graph that you have been given add one attribute that you think a website should have.

21. As we don’t have time…..

22. On your own at home….visit the web site’s listed on your sheet. Determine which attritubes each site contains. Separate them into what you would think an examplar or a nonexamplar web site would be. And we will continue this discussion at our next meeting.

23. References: Joyce,B.,Weil,M.,& Calhoun,E.(2000). Attaining concepts: Sharpening the basic thinking skills. In Models of Teaching (pp.143-160), Boston, MD:Allyn and Bacon Http://www.lovinlearning.or/heroes/concept_attain ment.htm