Conceptual Understanding and Thinking

 by Ayu's

2.1 CONCEPTS

Concepts are group of objects, events, and characteristics on the basis of common properties (Santrock, 2011). Concepts are basic and simple group of object, events, and characteristic to form properties. Concepts help us to simplify, summarize, and organize information (Quinn, 2009, 2011 in Santrock, 2011). By conceptions, we would see each object as unique and would not be able to make any generalizations. For students, concepts help to make sense of the world (Chi & Brem, 2009; Oakes & others, 2010, in Santrock, 2011).

Consider the concept of “pen”. If a student were not aware that a pen is made of wood of uniform size, long tube wood contains of graphite, and use to write in a book. So, each time the student encountered a new pen, he/she would have to figure out what it was. In a way, then, concepts keep us from “reinventing the wheel” each time we come across a new piece of information.

Concepts also aid the process of remembering, making it more efficient (Racine, 201, in Santrock, 2011). When students group objects to form a concept, they can remember the concept, and then retrieve the concept’s characteristics.

For example, when students assign chemistry homework, student probably won’t have to go through the details of what chemistry is or what homework is. Students will has embedded in their memory a number of appropriate associations. In ways such as this, concepts not only help to jog memory but also make communication more efficient.

Students form concepts through direct experiences with objects and events in their world. For example, in constructing a sophisticated concept of “cartoons,” children might initially experience TV cartoon shows, then read comic strips, and eventually look at some political caricatures. Students also form concepts through experience with symbols (things that stand for, or represent, something else). For example, words are symbols. So are math formulas, graphs, and pictures.

Some concepts are relatively simple, clear, and concrete, whereas others are more complex, fuzzy, and abstract. The former are easier to agree on. For example, most people can agree on the meaning of “red” But we have a harder time agreeing on what is meant by “weak red”, “pink”, “heart red”, and “strong red”. We agree on whether something is an apple more readily than on whether something is a fruit. Some concepts are especially complex, fuzzy, and abstract, like the concepts involved in theories of economic collapse or string theory in physics.

2.2 STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING CONCEPT

Teaching concept can be done in several ways, namely:

1.      Learning About the Features of Concepts

An important aspect of concept formation is learning the key features, attributes, or characteristics of the concept (Madole, Oakes, & Rakison, 2010; Racine, 2011 in Santrock, 2011). These are the defining elements of a concept, the dimensions that make it different from another concept.

For example, “pen,” the key features include long tube wood, contains graphite, and is used to write and draw something. Other characteristics such as size, color, and length are not key features that define the concept of “pen.” Consider also these critical features of the concept of “solutions”: mixture and homogeneous. In the case of the concept of “solutions” the feature “mixture” is important.

2.      Defining Concepts and Providing Examples

In teaching concepts, is important to clearly define them and give carefully chosen examples. The rule-example strategy is an effective way to teaching concepts (Tennyson & Cocchiarella, 1986 in Santrock, 2011). The strategy consists of four steps:

a.       Define the concept.

In identifying the concept’s key features or characteristics, link it to a super ordinate concept, which is a larger class into which it fits. Thus, in specifying the key features of the concept of “Solutions” you might want to mention the larger class into which it fits: “Mixture.”

b.      Clarify terms in the definition.

Make sure that the key features or characteristics are well understood. Thus, in describing the key features of the concept of “Solutions” it is important for students to know what a mixture is— matter contains of two or more substance that not result new substance.

c.       Give examples to illustrate the key features or characteristics.

With regard to solutions, one might give examples and descriptions of different types of solutions, such as alcohol solutions, oxygen in air, and a bromine solutions. The concept can be further clarified by giving examples of other mixture that are not solutions, such as milk, smoke, CCl₄ in water, and NaCl crystal in water.

Indeed, giving non-examples of a concept as well as examples is often a good strategy for teaching concept formation. More examples are required when you teach complex concepts and when you work with less sophisticated learners.

d.      Provide additional examples.

Categorize concepts, explain categorization, or generate own examples of the concept are good for students. Give examples of other Solutions, such as alcohol solutions, oxygen in air, and bromine solutions. Or ask students to find more examples themselves. Also ask them to think up other non-examples of Solutions, such as milk, smoke, and Sol. Do some children develop an intense, passionate interest in a particular category of objects or activities? A recent study of 11-month-old to 6-year-old children confirmed that they do (DeLoache, Simcock, & Macari, 2007). A striking finding was the large gender difference in categories, with an extremely intense interest in particular categories for boys as compared with girls. Categorization of boys’ intense interests focused on vehicles, trains, machines, dinosaurs, and balls; girls’ intense interests were more likely to involve dress-ups and books/reading but were not as extreme as boys’ most intense interests were.

3.      Hierarchical Categorization and Concept Maps

Categorization is important because once a concept is categorized it can take on characteristics and features from being a member of a category (Chi & Brem, 2009 in Santrock, 2011). For example, students can infer that milk is a mixture even if they have never been told that fact as long as they know that Colloid are mixture and a milk is a colloid.

Knowing that  milk is a type of colloid lets students infer that milk assumes the characteristics of colloid (that they are mixture). A concept map is a visual presentation of a concept’s connections and hierarchical organization (Santrock, 2011). Getting students to create a map of a concept’s features or characteristics can help them to learn the concept (Amadieu & others, 2009 in Santrock 2011). The concept map also might embed the concept in a super ordinate category and include examples and no examples of the concept (Ritchart, Turner, and Hadar, 2009 in Santrock 2011). The visual aspects of the concept use imagery in memories.

4.      Hypothesis Testing

The objective of Hypothesis testing is to determine what a concept is and is not. Hypotheses are specific assumptions and predictions that can be tested to determine their accuracy. One way to develop a hypothesis is to come up with a rule about why some objects fall within a concept and others do not.

The example of practice hypotheses test for student are

a.       Present students with the picture of geometric forms shown in picture bellow

b.      Then silently select the concept of one of those geometric forms (such as “circle” or “green circle”)

c.        Ask them to develop hypotheses about the concept you have selected. They can zero in on your concept by asking you questions related to the geometric forms and eliminating non examples.

d.      You might also let the students take turns selecting a concept and answering questions from the other students.

e.       Work with your students on developing the most efficient strategies for identifying the correct concept.

5.      Prototype Matching

 In prototype matching, individuals decide whether an item is a member of a category by comparing it with the most typical item(s) of the category (Rosch, 1973 in Santrock 2011). The more similar the item is to the prototype, the more likely it is that the individual will say the item belongs to the category; the less similar, the more likely the person will judge that it doesn’t belong in the category.

For example, a student’s concept of a football player might include being big and muscular like an offensive lineman. But some football players, such as many field goal kickers, are not so big and muscular. However, an offensive lineman is a more prototypical example of a football player than a field goal kicker. When students consider whether someone belongs in the category “football player,” they are more likely to think of someone who looks like an offensive lineman than to think of someone who looks like a field goal kicker.