📚
Concept-based Learning: A Whole-School Approach
  • Concept-based Learning: A Whole-School Approach
  • Faria Education Group
  • Meet the Author: Sarah Plews
  • Guide Objectives and Outline
  • Part 1: Getting Started with a Bit of Theory
    • Overview
    • To what extent is my current practice concept-based?
    • What is a concept?
    • What is Concept-based Learning?
  • Part 2: Connecting Concept-based Theory with Practice
    • Overview
    • Why concept-based learning?
    • How can teacher beliefs impact student learning experiences?
    • Which teaching approaches can support concept-based learning?
  • Part 3: Practice - Planning for Conceptual Understandings
    • Overview
    • How can you choose what concepts are right for your teaching?
    • How can you plan to support conceptual understanding?
    • How can you support your students to build strong conceptual understandings?
  • Part 4: Practice - Strategies and Tools for your Concept-based Classroom
    • Overview
    • What strategies can you use in practice to support concept-based learning?
    • How can technology add value to your concept-based classroom?
    • How can you design meaningful experiences and assessments?
  • Final Note
    • Author Reflection
    • Further Reading
  • Looking for More Support in this Area?
Powered by GitBook
On this page
  • Misunderstandings and Struggles
  • Reflect - Act

Was this helpful?

  1. Part 1: Getting Started with a Bit of Theory

To what extent is my current practice concept-based?

PreviousOverviewNextWhat is a concept?

Last updated 2 years ago

Was this helpful?

Misunderstandings and Struggles

So let’s start with a common misunderstanding and struggle which may resonate, and according to Lynn Erickson, is shared by many teachers around the world.

A common misunderstanding is the belief that concepts are more important than facts. This, however, is a myth. What is needed to support students is to offer a content rich curriculum so that students can access examples and use them in order to build conceptual and transferrable understandings.

A common struggle, also shared by many teachers, is that they find it difficult to go beyond teaching content and skills. Concept-based learning aims for students to use core content and skills as tools - as opposed to content and skills being the final destination of learning - to reach higher levels of thinking and deeper understanding. One common reason is that teachers feel they need to ‘cover’ the curriculum. Another common reason is that teachers can feel unsure of the steps they can take to scaffold learning so that students build their own conceptual understandings.

Reflect - Act

  1. Read, reflect and highlight across the continuum based on practice

  2. Identify which areas you might consider to develop

Before going any further I invite you to pause and explore the . Consider using it to make notes and adjust as you move through this guide:

to make your own copy and use as a reflection tool to support you/your team in your concept-based learning journey

concept-based pedagogy continuum below
Click here