Exemplary Lesson Concept Attainment Advantages Disadvantages For Students - Students work together in cooperative groups to present information. - Students gain experience in creating a hypothesis and organize their findings. - Students expand their thinking to be able to view and consider multiple attributes at the same time. - Students may become more comfortable at using a trial and error approach in solving problems in their everyday life. (Students create a hypothesis, but it may not always be true after they ve conducted their research.) - Students may enhance their verbal skills in debating the hypotheses they presented. - This model assists students in paying attention to details when organizing their information. - Students may become more open-minded to other people s thoughts and ideas through their group work. - Students have to understand that their hypothesis may not be correct the first time it is stated. - Students must attend to details to fully grasp a concept and some may not be accustomed to working so intricately. - Some students do not like to take risks, so they may not participate in the group work. - Students may shut down if the concept is too difficult for them to conceive. -Students may not be socially able to work with others collaboratively. For Teachers - This model provides an opportunity to analyze a student s thinking process and make changes to enhance learning. - This model can be used for all levels, kindergarten and up, with accommodations. - Teaching with this model will create better learners if lessons are within the - This model is more work for the teachers. Textbooks do not have ready-made examples to use for concept attainment. - The teacher has many duties, i.e. keeping track of the hypothesis, providing additional, quality examples and prompting the students without giving the answer or
students ability levels. Students will focus on details in learning the new concepts. - The Concept Attainment Model enhances higher order thinking. Students are able to give examples to demonstrate their application of the concept. -Attaining Concepts can be used in a game-like activity in which the students feel challenged, but not pressured. After students master the concept, a fun review might be to sort terms or words into the correct column of positive exemplars and negative exemplars. For example, students are given word cards and they are to work quickly to place the verbs under the exemplary column and non-verbs in the other column. conclusion. - The teacher may not be able to put a lesson together quickly each step should be thoughtfully reviewed to be sure it is a logical progression. For Parents -Families that interact often may find that their child is able to make comparisons between concepts and make analytical decisions. -This method may assist in the communication process, especially with teenagers, when parents need to get a point across. - Parent may be able to reason with their child on a higher level because the child has expanded their thought process through the activities presented in the classroom. - This method may assist in enhancing a family s ability - Parents may not be familiar with this method and find it difficult to understand its purpose. There may be multiple correct answers and parents may not like having variable answers. - This method may make the parents feel helpless, especially in the middle school and high school grades. - Parents may feel further alienated from the education process because of their lack of experience with concept attainment. - In dealing with older children, parents may find
to interact when playing trivia or other word games at home. more resistance when establishing and enforcing rules because the children are accustomed to making their point in school. Children will want more of an explanation instead of because that s the way it is as many parents say. How can this model be enhanced by the use of different types of media and/or technology? Teachers may share information with parents through e-mail about the lesson, to enhance the home-school connection. When teachers get support from home, it can be very beneficial to the student. Teachers may use pictures, manipulatives and other props to assist students in attending to the multiple attributes of given information. Students may be asked to physically sort materials to understand the concept being taught. Small groups of students may communicate their hypothesis through a word document displayed on an ActivBoard. Therefore, other groups can give feedback about the hypothesis while it is displayed. Older students may share thoughts, as we do, through a discussion board in which hypotheses are posted. Remember to use Internet! The teacher or TA may need to assist students in finding urls for conducting research. 14/15 What kinds of accommodations could be made for students with special needs when using this model? Students with visual disabilities must be properly positioned to view screens, monitors and other materials used in a presentation. Students with special needs should be paired with strong peer models that are able to assist, but not actually do their work for them. Students with hearing impairments may need an interpreter, head phones for a computer or television activity and/or a seat in the classroom that allows them to hear a presentation clearly. The authors make the statement: The concept attainments model may be used with children of all ages and grade levels (p. 73). This statement reminds teachers that they must be aware of a student s ability level and form appropriate expectations for a child with special needs, as well as typical children. Well stated
Discuss specific ways you could apply this model to your own teaching. Describe the student population, grade level, and subject in which you could use the model. Setting: Kindergarten class, 20 students from various backgrounds, subject: Math, comparing height I would list the students names in two columns as follows Yes Jordan Hudson Ben Jacob No Jack Amy Allen Alexys In small groups, children would talk about what the list means and where other names should be placed. My prediction is that they would focus on a boy column and a girl column. I would challenge them to think deeper. They may notice that children in one column do not wear glasses, or they may look at the clothes the children are wearing. They may consider eye color, hair color, or skin color. I would allow each group to share their hypothesis. Next, I would add a name to the yes column (Jasmine) and a name to the no column (Craig). This would eliminate some of their hypotheses. Then, I would add Alex to the yes column and India to the no column. At this time, I would allow the groups to confer and then present their new hypothesis. If they appear to be on track with the positive and negative exemplars, I would ask some students to add other names under the appropriate columns. Then, I would ask a student to explain their thoughts and reasoning and allow other students to add more information if necessary. It is my goal for the students to recognize that the students in the yes column are taller than the students in the no column. Note: This activity may not take place at one sitting and may have to be broken up to accommodate the attention span of kindergarteners. Great activity! It follows the model perfectly and will be effective for this model. 74/75
Average lesson Model Name Here Advantages Disadvantages Developing Self Concept For Students 1. Improves self esteem by focusing on achievements. 2. Allows students to make plans for the future. 3. Focuses on what students like about themselves. 4. Motivates students to see the end result not just the means. 1. In a group situation, if not closely monitored by a teacher, students will put other students down. 2. Students may lie about how they truly feel to gain acceptance by peers. For Teachers 1. Can impart and importance of self. 2. Gives students the ability to feel worth in themselves as well as other classmates. 3. Through different learning experiences, gives students more of a sense of accomplishment and increases self esteem. 1. Schools today are basically a bullying environment. 2. Teachers may not be able to help with self concept due to outside factors such as home life and socio-economic backgrounds. For Parents 1. May see a shy child come more out of their shell due to the idea of self importance in school. 1. May see a child withdraw socially by being ridiculed by peers about their sense of self. How can this model be enhanced by the use of different types of media and/or technology?
Media can be used to allow the students to find differences and similarities with each other. They may also to Instructional training to learn more about wants, desires and needs. More info needed here. 10/15 What kinds of accommodations could be made for students with special needs when using this model? Students, and parents, with special needs could have someone help them to simplify and understand more fully the concepts being discussed or implemented. This would create a greater understanding between all involved. How would you make accommodations? More info needed here. 10/15 Discuss specific ways you could apply this model to your own teaching. Describe the student population, grade level, and subject in which you could use the model. I would use this model in a middle school health class setting. As children reach puberty and are thrust into a new school with others they have never met before, they may feel insecure. Cliques are formed. Children are picked on and bullied. I would allow them to explore their self esteem so they do not get overwhelmed by the new setting. How would you allow them to explore their self esteem? What type of activity might you use? More info needed. 10/15 Your answers are okay, but I expect to see fully developed responses with specific strategies. 60/75
Models Comparison Chart Model Name Here Advantages Disadvantages For Students For Teachers For Parents How can this model be enhanced by the use of different types of media and/or technology? (15 What kinds of accommodations could be made for students with special needs when using this model? (15 Discuss specific ways you could apply this model to your own teaching. Describe the student population, grade level, and subject in which you could use the model. (15 This assignment requires detailed analysis and discussion of each model. This analysis allows you to demonstrate to the instructor your depth of understanding of the models of instruction. Cut and paste to use the template above to prepare charts for the models discussed in the text (75 :
Poor lesson EDST 710 Assignment #1 Instructional Model (1): Concept Attainment Name of Web site (1): University of Saskatchewan URL(1): http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/mcvittiej/bio30unit1/lessons/lesson05.htm Grade level (1): 12 Subject (1): Chemistry Provide a brief overview of the lesson (20): The concept being taught is the amazing importance of carbon in just about every thing we touch. The students are given vasts amounts of organic compounds and their make-up maps to determine what is familiar between all of these. Of course the learners will discover the presence of carbon in everything that lay before them. The interest is stirred through a new found discovery in actually seeing carbon in all of these materials. What are the greatest strengths of the lesson? How, specifically, would it encourage student learning? (20) Discovery is pretty much the motivating factor in this lesson. I can imagine the class became pretty noisy as attainment occurred throughout the class with the discovery of the dominant element placed before the class. The sound of attainment can be pretty motivational for those who have not discovered just yet. How do you facilitate the discovery? 5/20 What, if any, weaknesses do you see in the lesson? (10) Time required to reach a majority of attainment could vary from class to class. Why is that a problem? More info needed here. 2/10 Does this lesson differ from the model as described in the text? If so, briefly describe those differences. (20) 1/20 No More info needed here. You might say it includes all of the parts and particularly.. I am sure you expect your students to answer with more than yes or no 23/75 The entire plan is too short. To answer the questions completely and show you have master of the model, I expect much more information. Review samples available.
Instructional Model (1): Name of Web site (1): URL(1): http:// Grade level (1): Subject (1): Provide a brief overview of the lesson (20): EDST 710 Models: Lesson Plan Assignment What are the greatest strengths of the lesson? How, specifically, would it encourage student learning? (20) What, if any, weaknesses do you see in the lesson? (10) Does this lesson differ from the model as described in the text? If so, briefly describe those differences. (20)