TheConcept Mastery Routine

The Content Enhancement Series

1999The University of Kansas

Center for Research on LearningLawrence, Kansas 66045

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Content Enhancement

A way of teaching an academically diverse group of students in which:

– Both group and individual needs are valued and met;

– The integrity of the content is maintained;

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Content Enhancement

A way of teaching an academically diverse group of students in which:

– Critical features of the content are selected and transformed in a manner that promotes student learning; and

– Instruction is carried out in a partnership with students.

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The Concept Diagram Teaching Device

• Is a visual device that:

– is used under teacher guidance

– facilitates teaching about an important but

different concept

– focuses attention on the overall concept

– identifies critical characteristics of the concept

– prompts elaboration based on prior knowledge

– helps students analyze the differences between

examples and nonexamples of the concept

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The Concept Diagram Teaching Device

• Is a visual device that:

– provides a way for students to practice with new

examples

– guides in creating good definitions

– is designed to enhance student

• understanding of new concepts

• remembering of ways to think about information

• responses to evaluation tasks and activities

• belief in the value of the content

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CONCEPT DIAGRAM

Always Present Sometimes Present Never Present

Examples: Nonexamples:

TIE DOWN A DEFINITION

EXPLORE EXAMPLES

Key Words

PRACTICE WITH NEW EXAMPLE

CONVEY CONCEPT

NOTE KEY WORDS

OFFER OVERALL CONCEPT

CLASSIFYCHARACTERISTICS

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Important Terms

Concept

A category or class into which events, ideas, or subjects can be grouped. All members of the came concept class must possess all of a set of critical characteristics.

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Important Terms

Concept

– In social studies, concepts include government,

revolution, and electoral process.

– In science, concepts include igneous rocks,

vertebrates, and evolution.

– In English, concepts include a sentence, sonnet,

and simile.

– In mathematics, concepts include triangle,

algorithm, and multiplication

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Important Terms

Overall Concept

The category or class into which the targeted concept

and similar concepts can be grouped.

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Important Terms

Characteristic

Things that set examples of a concept apart from

examples of all other concepts. Other words for

"characteristics" include "qualities," "traits," or

"attributes."

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Important Terms

Examples

Individual things, events, ideas, or processes

– possess all of the "always characteristics”

– possess none of the "never characteristics”

– may contain some of the "sometimes

characteristics"

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Important Terms

Nonexamples

Individual things, events, ideas, or processes

– lack at least one of the "always characteristics”

or

– have at least one of the "never characteristics"

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Important Terms

Definition

Includes the following in a complete sentence:

– the name of the targeted Concept

– the name of the Overall Concept

– all of the Always Characteristics that must be

present in all examples of the concept class

– any special rule joining the Always

Characteristics

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CONCEPT DIAGRAM

Always Present Sometimes Present Never Present

Examples: Nonexamples:

TIE DOWN A DEFINITION

EXPLORE EXAMPLES

Key Words

PRACTICE WITH NEW EXAMPLE

CONVEY CONCEPT

NOTE KEY WORDS

OFFER OVERALL CONCEPT

CLASSIFYCHARACTERISTICS

elephant

human

warm-blooded

nurse the young

whale

bird

shark

walk on 4 legs

can fly

cold-blooded

Mammal Vertebrate

warm-blooded

nurse the young

has hair

walks on 2 legs

walks on 4 legs

swims in water

can fly

moves on the ground

is cold-blooded

human

elephant

whale

bat

snake

alligator

shark

bird

A mammal is a warm-blooded vertebrate that has hair and nurses its young.

duckbill platypus