Using deductive and Inductive thought to learn in a meaningful way.

CONCEPT ATTAINMENT

STAFF DEVELOPMENT NAME OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

• John Murray

• Elvia Sanchez

• Terry Barber

• Naomi Johnson

WHAT IS CONCEPT ATTAINMENT?

• A method of teaching important concepts• Uses deductive and inductive reasoning• It therefore promotes critical thinking

• May be used for any subject

THREE EXAMPLES

• John Murray - Social Studies

• Elvia Sanchez – Language Arts

• Terry Barber - Living Skills

EXAMPLE 1: SOCIAL STUDIES

• Concept: States’ rights doctrine.

• Rule: an argument that state power should be greater than national, or federal, power because the states ratified the Constitution that created the national, or federal, government.

EXAMPLE 1: SOCIAL STUDIESCritical Attributes:

1. States created the national government, therefore power comes from the states.

2. State power is supreme, not national power.

3. Since state power is supreme, states may nullify federal laws.

EXAMPLE 1: SOCIAL STUDIES

Exemplars for Deriving the Concept:

+ South Carolina nullifies a federal tariff.

+ Massachusetts ignores the Fugitive Slave Law.

- After Congress creates the national bank, Maryland establishes a state bank.

+ Georgia ignores the Supreme Court’s ruling in Worcester v. Georgia and forcibly removes thousands of natives to Indian Territory.

EXAMPLE 1: SOCIAL STUDIESExemplars for testing and confirming the concept

1. California ignores federal drug laws and allows medical use of marijuana.

2. North Dakota allows growth of industrial hemp, despite federal law.

3. Texas starts its own space program.

4. Thirty-seven states pass articles of impeachment against the president.

DOES IT WORK?• Class 4 and 5 had the concept attainment

model, class 2 and 6 did not, just a definition and one example.

• Quiz results show:

EXAMPLE 2: GRAMMAR• Phase I-present labeled examples

• Phase II-Identify labeled examples

• Phase II-discuss role of hypotheses and attributes

• On a trip

• After many years

• During their stay

• Outside the door

• a long trip

• Many years later

• The trip to the mall

• A door is broken

EXEMPLARS NON EXEMPLARS

EXEMPLARS OR NON EXEMPLARS?

1. In front of the garbage cans

2. Behind the first place winner

3. walking around the gallery

4. Listening to the radio

5. To the railroad museum

ANSWER

• Concept: prepositional phrases

• Rule: Prepositional phrases begin with a preposition

• To the supermarket• To laugh at myself• Sleeping cat• Smiling brightly• In the garden

• Where the car is• When you know• As they walked in• How she remembered• If he says so

MORE ADVANCED:EXEMPLARS NON EXEMPLARS

ANSWER:

• Concept: phrases

• Rule: Phrases do not have both a verb and its subject

EXAMPLE 3: LIVING SKILLS

• Concept: Poor Working Conditions

• Rule: ???

EXAMPLE 3: LIVING SKILLS

Phase 1: Identify Examples

+ Joan’s boss often stands behind her and uses obscene language to get her to work faster

- Lilie likes going to work because her boss is respectful to her

+ Susan is afraid of being fined by her employer for talking at work

- Jack is confident his boss will allow him to leave work early if he has some important business to take care of

EXAMPLE 3: LIVING SKILLS

Phase 1: Identify Examples

+ Joan gets headaches because the lights are too low in the factory where she works

+ Fred works about fourteen hours a day and has no choice about whether or not he works that long

- Frank feels energetic after work and has plenty of time for hobbies, friends, etc.

- Billy gets breaks every couple of hours to relax and regain his strength; he gets an hour for lunch

EXAMPLE 3: LIVING SKILLSPhase 2: Confirm Concept

Phase 3: Students label examples on their own

__ Cheryl has to share one bathroom with a couple hundred other workers and a family of rats

__ Judy’s company has heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer

__ Fred gets a raise at least once a year based on his performance

__ Shaka often sees some of the workers arguing and fighting each other at work

EXAMPLE 3: LIVING SKILLSPhase 4: Ask questions for assessment

• Describe your idea of a poor working condition.

• What did you think the concept of poor working conditions was initially?

• What gave you the most clues?

• What strategy did you use to find the answers?

• How can you use this thinking for other problems?

RESOURCES

• Pritchard, Florence Fay. 23 July 1994. Teaching Thinking Across the Curriculum with the Concept Attainment Model.