Social Studies Literacy Teaching Attaining Concepts Broadly based

Social Studies Literacy: Teaching & Attaining Concepts Broadly based on work by Jerome Bruner as found in Joyce and Weil’s Models of Teaching ©Jack Conklin, Ph. D. , May 20, 2010

Workshop Objectives • Provide a rationale for using a variety of useful models of teaching • Overview research on effective teaching • Introduce Models of Teaching (Joyce & Weil) • Learn the definition of a concept • Discuss Concept Formation • The participating fellow will be able to teach a Concept Attainment lesson

Research on Effective Teaching 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Clarity of presentation (Zone of proximal development) Variability of presentation style (Block schedule) Teacher enthusiasm Task oriented business-like behavior (time/task) Student opportunity to learn (OTL) Use of student ideas (engages working memory, sense/ perm. ) Criticism (negative relationship) Rosenshine & Furst

Research on Effective Teaching (continued) • • • ID similarities and differences (Venn diagrams) Summarizing and note taking (Explicitly teach how) Reinforcing effort & providing recognition (B-Mod is immoral) Homework and practice (for preparation and reinforcement) Nonlinguistic representations (Chomsky’s deep structure) Learning in groups (discussions, pair share, co-operative learning) Using goals and objectives (promotes clarity of instruction and OTL) Generating and testing hypotheses (higher order thinking) Using cues, questions & advance organizers (creates success) Marzano, et al.

What is Teaching? • For our purposes, in the American school: • Teaching is a highly complex process where a knowledgeable person designs and delivers academic content (facts, concepts, & principles/ generalizations) to a group of learners where those learners are expected to demonstrate that they have acquired the new knowledge.

What are the Models of Teaching? • Social Models – Cooperative learning – Group investigation --Role Playing --Dyads --Emotional IQ • Personal Models – Memory training – Metacognition --Study Skills --Habits of Mind • Information-processing Models – Inductive /deductive teaching --Problem Solving – Concept learning --Direct Instruction – Scientific inquiry and inquiry training

Information-processing Models Teach facts, concepts, & generalizations: Concept attainment Teach procedures of skills to be learned Promote metacognitive skills for the pupil Teach learners how to manipulate information (Microscope, long division, parallel parking, how to vote, how a bill becomes a law) (organization, outlining, interrelationships) Develop logic, learn to use the modes of inquiry of a discipline or field Using primary sources, old newspapers, etc. Teach problem solving skills (Suchman’s Inquiry Training Model)

Concept learning • What is a concept? – …an abstract idea – …denotes all of the objects in a given category – Concepts are universal – …the basic parts of rules or generalizations – Has attributes that are essential for its meaning (Chair exercise – next slide) – Has essential and noisy attributes

Some Chairs

Concept learning (continued) • All major learning requires concept learning • There are two types of concept learning – Concept formation: this is the metacognitive process of creating concepts in the mind • It is an inductive process • It can be taught and learned – Concept attainment: model used by teachers who have specific concepts to be taught

Concept attainment Developed by Jerome Bruner • There are three phases, but first the teacher chooses the concept before the lesson starts and explains the rules of the game. • Phase I: The teacher presents positive and negative examples of the concept • Phase II: The teacher tests for attainment of the concept by getting additional examples from the learners (continue to give examples ‘till all have it)

Concept attainment Developed by Jerome Bruner (continued) • Phase II: (Part 2) The teacher (or a student) names the concept. • Phase III: The teacher analyses the thinking strategies used by the learner to help teach metacognitive thinking skills. • It is an inductive models and require the learner to convert bits of data into concepts. • Concept attainment also uses the benefits of discovery learning (very resistant to forgetting)

Examples of Social Studies Concepts • • Dictatorship Civil rights Government Eurocentric Culture Fascists Annex Economic depression • • Democracy Popular vote Electoral vote Natural resources Topography Citizens Culture Nonrenewable resources

Concept Example Chart Positive examples Middle East The Orient The West Europe as the Center of the Global Map Columbus discovers America Negative examples America Union of Myanmar Mumbai Arabic numerals Columbus invades/ steals from indigenous people

Concept Example Chart • Positive examples 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Middle East The Orient The West The East Columbus discovered America Calculus Map placement (Europe is found at the center) Etc. • Negative examples 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. United States Japan Canada Mongolia Columbus invaded a new land stole from the indigenous people 6. Arabic numerals 7. Etc. (Madhava) Overhead, board, flip chart, audio or video

Comparison of good and poor problem solvers: Habits of Mind • Good Problem Solvers • Poor Problem Solvers • • • Difficulty with directions • Can’t I. D. key elements • Feels he or she either knows solution or not • Not confident the problem can be solved • Lack of self information • Feels a need to solve entire problem at once • Is passive and quits soon Understand the directions I. D. key elements Have the goal of solution Believes that the problem can be solved • I. D’s self knowledge • Breaks problem down into managible parts • Is active and spends more time and thought

The Whip “We only learn by doing if we reflect on what we have done. ” John Dewey Theory The “whip” is a technique that is designed for a quick assessment of what students have learned in a class period or segment of a class. It serves multiple functions in that it helps students to recall a significant learning from a class; other student’s comments serve as a review for the rest of the students (helping to provide multiple exposure) and it is an active learning event in the classroom. It is both highly reflective and constructivist in nature. Most students enjoy the process. The process At the end of an instructional event each student is asked to quickly state one thing that he or she has learned in the class/ period that day. It is that simple. Initially, the teacher should provide a chart with the following response guides and explicitly teach the process. In my experience, after it has been used several times 30 students can “whip” around the room in less than one (1) or two (2) minutes.

The Whip (continued) Response guide I now know that… I learned… I was reminded of… I was surprised to learn that… I feel (an emotional response is given) because I now know… This makes me conclude… I discovered… I've revisited an old idea about… “Pass” with a return for comment. “Piggy-back” on someone else's comment (with an addition of my own). The rules: The comments must be short. Everyone should present as quickly as possible. All comments are accepted even if a cast-off comment is recalled. Everyone participates. No "editorial" comments about other people's statements (even the teacher – but the teacher can and should correct blatant errors). I usually active listen. Should happen before breaks, class ends or transitions. Copyright © 1999, Jack Conklin, Ph. D.

References • Cram 101 Textbook Outlines, (2009) Outlines & Highlights for Models of Teaching by Bruce R. Joyce, Marsha Weil, Emily Calhoun, Academic Internet Publishers, Inc. Memphis, TN ISBN: 9780205593453 • Joyce, B & Weil, M. (2008) Models of teaching, 8 th ed. Allyn & Bacon, Boston, MA. • Hill, J. & Flynn, K. (2006) Classroom instruction that works with English language learners. ASCD, Alexandria, VA.