LESSON
PLAN BASED ON CONCEPT ATTAINMENT MODEL
Prepared by
SABARISH-P
M.Sc., M.Ed., JRF & NET
Assistant Professor in Physical Science, Arafa Institute for Teacher Education
Attur, Thrissur.
CONCEPT ATTAINMENT
MODEL
Introduction
This
model has been developed, based on the studies
made by Jerome S.Bruner and his associates mainly to explain the nature
of concepts and the strategies of concept formation.
Description of the
model
1. Syntax
Phase
I Presentation of Data and
Identification of the Concept
¨ Teacher
presents labeled examples.
¨ Students
compare attributes of positive and negative examples.
¨ Students
generate and test hypotheses.
¨ Students
state a definition according to the essential attributes.
In the first phase
of the model, the teacher presents the positive and negative examples in the
pre-determined sequence. This data may be in the form of picture anecdotes, sketches,
diagrams, events or any other illustrations.
The pupils are told
that there is one idea common in all positive examples and they have to compare
and justify the attributes and form some hypotheses about the concept.
When the pupils have
analyzed the examples and hypothesized, the teacher asks the students to state a
definition according to the essential attributes.
Phase
II Testing Attainment of the Concept
¨ Students
identify unlabelled examples as “yes” or “no”.
¨ Teacher
confirms student’s hypotheses.
¨ Teacher
names the concept. Teacher restates definition according to essential
attributes.
¨ Students
generate examples.
In
the second phase, to test student’s attainment of the
concept, the teacher presents unlabelled examples. The students identify them
as positive or negative. The teacher asks for reasons and confirms their hypotheses.
When he knows that the students have attained the concept, he names the concept.
He does not ask the students to name it become they are not familiar with the
name of the concept. Only when the students have already attained the concept
(Prior of the Cam lesson) and the teacher uses the model for concept
clarification and he may ask the students to name the concept.
To test the attainment
of the concept further, the teacher asks the pupils to generate examples and
label then as positive or negative instances of the concept.
Phase
III Analysis of the thinking strategies
¨ Students
describe thoughts
¨ Students
discuss role of hypotheses and
attributes
¨ Students
discuss type and number of hypotheses
¨ Teacher
evaluates the strategies.
In
the third phase, of the model the teacher analyses the
thinking strategies employed by the students. The students report their pattern
of hypothesizing, whether they focused on attributes or concepts, whether they
did so, one at a time or several at once, and how they changed their hypotheses
when it was not confirmed.
Thinking
Strategies
In the model, mainly two kinds of strategies
are used-who list and partist.
The wholist strategy is to take the first
positive instances of the concepts as a whole, i.e., comparing all the
attributes of the first positive instance to these subsequent instances and
modify the hypotheses accordingly. The first instance becomes a concept
hypotheses and sequent decision depends on the attributes similarity and
difference between the first positive instance and the subsequent one’s.
In
the partist strategy the choice of a
hypothesis is based on only part of the initial example. If the initial hypothesis
is not confirmed then the partist refers back to all prior instances and
chooses another hypothesis. Thus a partist
¨ Beings
with part of the instance
¨ Maintains
the hypotheses till the positive and negative instances confirm
¨ Changes
hypotheses with positive information
and chooses hypothese not previously
made
2.
Social
System:
The model has a
moderate structure. The teacher assumes a major role initially in choosing the
concept, selecting and organizing or sequencing the data. The teacher controls
action but with subsequent phases students interaction is encouraged. In the
Reception Oriented Model the structure moves from high to moderate.
3.
Principles
of Reaction:
The model emphasized
teacher support during the flow of the lesson with due with due regard to
hypothetical nature of discussion. Pupils should be helped in creating a
dialogue in which students test their hypotheses against each other. The
teacher should focus pupils attention on specific features of examples and
finally assist the pupils in discussing
and evaluating their thinking strategies. The teacher should encourage analysis
of the merits of various strategies rather than attempting to seek the one best
strategy for all pupils in all situations.
4.
Support
System:
Well organized
reference material is the most essential support required for this model, carefully
selected and organized materials and data in the form of discrete units easily serves
as examples.
5.
Effects
of the Model:
The Concept Attainment
Model accomplishes several instructional goals depending on the emphasis of the
particular lesson.
Understanding the
nature of concepts, specific concepts, improved concept building strategies and
inductive reasoning ability are the instructional effects of the model.
The nurturant effects come
from experiencing the environment created by the model. These effects are sensitivity
to logical reasoning in communication, tolerance of ambiguity (but appreciation
of logic) and awareness of alternative perspectives.
Role
of teacher in the model
The teacher using the
reception model of concept attainment should choose the concept, select and
organize the material into positive and negative examples and sequences the
examples: For this the teacher has to keep the material well structure. Thus
the teacher acts as a recorder. Later he
presents cues and additional data. He is a supportive agent. The student does
not invent new concepts but attains the ones selected by the teacher .
Application
of the Model
The
Concept attainment model is useful with all ages and grate levels. But a
teacher will have to absorb the essential ideas of the model and incorporate these
into natural teaching style and form. Concept attainment model is an excellent
evaluation tool when teachers want to determine whether important ideas
introduced earliers have been mastered since it quickly reveals the depth
of student’s understanding. The model
can be used in opening up a new conceptual area by inviting a sequence of
individual or group inquiries. It also helps in inductive reasoning.
According
to Bruner and his associates there are four strategies used in Selection
Oriented Concept Attainment Model.
They are:
1.
Simultaneous Scanning 2. Successive Scanning
3. Conservative Focusing 4. Focus Gambling
LESSON
PLAN FOR CONCEPT ATTAINMENT MODEL (CAM)
IN PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Name of the teacher : Std:
Subject : Date:
Topic : Period:
1.
Name
of the concept : LEVER
2.
Definition
of the concept : A level is a simple machine that
rotates
about a fixed
point.
3.
Essential
Attributes
¨ Reduce
human effort
¨ A
pivot around which the lever rotates
4.
Non-Essential
Attributes
¨
Size of the lever
¨
Materials used for the preparation of the lever
¨
Nature
of the use
5.
Positive
Examples Negative Examples
i)
Nut cracker i) Knife
ii)
Lime squeezer ii) Blade
iii)
Scissors iii) Spade
iv)
See-saw iv) Chisel
6.
Unlabeled
Examples:
Screw,
needle, fishing rod, forceps, pliers,
sickle, bottle opener, balance.
7.
Mode
of Presentation : Diagrams and Models
8.
Reference
Material
New Knowledge library Encyclopedia
Popular Science Book
Process
Skills
1.
Observing 2. Classifying 3.
Measuring
4. Communicating 5. Interpreting data 6.
Experimenting
|
SYNTAX
|
TEACHER
ACTIVITY
|
PUPIL
ACTIVITY
|
|
Phase
– I
Presentation
of data and identification of the concept.
|
Teacher
presents labeled examples i.e., teacher present positive examples like
nutcracker, lime squeezer, scissors, and see-saw and negative examples like
knife, blade, spade and chisel.
|
Pupils
are asked to
(a) Find
out the common ideas in all the given examples.
(b) Compare
the attributes of positive and negative examples.
(c) Generate
a hypothesis
(d) Test
the hypothesis
(e) State
a definition according to the attributes.
|
|
Phase II
Testing
the attainment of the concept.
|
Teacher
presents additional unlabelled examples such as screw, needle, fishing rod, forceps, pilers, sickle,
bottle opener, balance. Tacher names the concepts as LEVER. Teacher restates
the definitions of lever according to the essential attributes.
|
Pupils
are asks to
(a) Identify
unlabelled examples as positive and
negative
(b) Generate
new examples of lever.
|
|
Phase
III
Analysis of the thinking strategies
|
Teacher evaluates
the strategies
|
Pupils
¨ Describe
thoughts
¨ Discusses
the role of hypothesis
¨ Discusses
type and number of hypothesis.
|
