How can technology add value to your concept-based classroom?

Technology and Student-Centered Learning

As you tailor your curriculum and instruction design to meet your student needs, technology can add value to concept-based learning in many ways - and the good news is you don’t have to be tech-savvy to incorporate some technology into your practice.

Not only can technology increase motivation and engagement when selected resources, platforms or tools are used appropriately, technology can also help students to better understand a concept.

Take a look at the slide, and put aside some time to explore the links that are new to you. Consider using one new piece of technology for engagement, to support content or just try out a new strategy or strategy. You will find suggestions in the examples that follow.

Technology and an Inductive Approach

Technology can help you provide case study access to students to support them make contextualized connections within their inquiries. Consider how you might integrate one of the suggested technology resources to support content through one of the inquiry approaches below.

#6 A Concentric Case Study can be embedded in structured inquiry requiring teachers to select factual examples or case studies for whole class exploration.

• Select a broad range of examples and investigate as a whole class to ensure maximum alignment with concepts and understandings

• Make explicit connections and scaffold conceptual understanding in class discussions

• As all students inquire into the same case studies, plan shared experiences such as field trips or experiments

Try Newsela or Gapminder to support case study exploration

#7 A Networked Case Study can be embedded in guided or open inquiry and allows students to explore factual examples as individuals, in pairs or small groups.

• Assign case studies or factual examples differentiating content by readiness or interest of students

• Students explore a range of different case studies as individuals, in pairs or in small groups

• Provide opportunities for students to represent and share findings, make connections and deepen understandings

Try google expeditions or 100 Mentors to support case study exploration