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If educators want greater equity in learning, then we need to reduce our focus on rote learning and content and pay more attention to developing concepts and making those concepts explicit. It is critical to note that we cannot build ideas and concepts without knowledge. We are certainly not abandoning the learning of knowledge; far from it, but we need to keep that knowledge to a minimum, and expose learners to knowledge Just-In-Time when they need it.
The initial knowledge required to begin the practical process of driving is where the brake, handbrake and accelerator are and how to operate them. This knowledge would take about three minutes to learn. The learner-driver then starts practising the concepts of braking and steering in a very particular order. Knowing who invented the car is of no value at this point.
There are two possible approaches to using concepts to underpin the approach to curriculum.
B. Identify a concept within a specific learning area or subject domain and apply that concept to different contexts (red circles) within that subject/domain. The chosen concept (variables underlined), is ‘for every effect that we observe, there is one or more causes’. In this approach the concept is limited to science contexts.
The concept is introduced to learners via a prompt, and each group of 4-5 learners can choose a context, within that discipline to explore and then report back their findings to the rest of the class. As each of the groups reports back to the class, learners begin to build an understanding of the concept of cause and effect, as they see this played out in several different contexts from each group. Each context is with a specific learning area/discipline, which in this case is science. This emerging conceptual understanding can be used to predict how that concept may play out in other science contexts as the learner encounters them (the orange circles).
‘for every effect that we observe, there is one or more causes’ can be learned through science via a number of different contexts.
Resource 33: The Conceptual Approach - Single Discipline
The chosen concept is ‘cause and effect’ but the concept is artificially limited to science. The concept can be introduced to or by learners via a prompt. Each group of 4-5 learners can be given a context to explore (red circles) and then report back their findings to each other. As each group reports back to the class, learners begin to build an understanding of the general concept of ‘cause and effect’ as they see that played out via a range of contexts within science. The emerging conceptual understanding can then be used to predict how that concept may play out in other science contexts that the learner encounters (orange circles).
predictable
limitless
storms
new materials
earthquakes
seasons
states of matter
health dinosaurs
Concept: Single-discipline Cause & Effect
weather
genetic engineering
predictable context
forces
electricity
habitats
the solar system
sustainability
predictable
new materials
genetic engineering
learned context