Concept-Based Teaching Method

Concept-based teaching method can be defined as a type of learning that centers on big-picture ideas and learning of how to organize and categorize information. Conceptual methods focus on understanding broader principles or ideas that can be later applied to a variety of specific examples.it can also be seen as more of top-down approach that serves as a means of getting students to think more critically about the new subjects and situations they encounter. For example, if someone is teaching about the concept of fruit, then some good exemplars would be apples, oranges, and bananas. Some exemplars that can be used can either still be a relationship between the mother and daughter, or a group of friend.

Benefits derived from concept-based teaching

The following are the lists of the benefit derived from concept-based teaching:

1. Concept-based teaching method helps student to take more active role in their learning using flipped classroom model of instruction

2. Concept-based teaching streamlines content and eliminates redundancies across courses.

3. Concept-based teaching encourages students to see patterns and use those patterns to deliver care and anticipate risks.

4. Concept-based teaching helps to support systematic observations about events or conditions that influence a problem

5. Concept-based teaching causes a higher level of retention.

How to teach concept in learning

Concept is the knowledge that identifies, explain, analyze, demonstrate real-life elements and event. These are broad ideas that are in many instances, through geographical and cultural boundaries. There are two kinds of concept. These are sensory and abstract.

• Sensory concepts: The sensory concepts are ones that have characteristics features of sensory organ. The features are very tangible, can be picked by one or more of our sensory organs. For instance, a course for trainee physicians to help them learn how to diagnose diseases will mostly deal with the sensory concept.
• Abstract concepts: The abstract concepts are neither visible or tangible, courses on leadership and management often contain abstract concept. E.g As an instructional designer, you will have to teach both the sensory and abstract concepts.

Here are the three steps to teach concepts:

I. Define the concept: This deals with the concept class and the distinguishing features. A definition is a statement of facts that identify the species that the subject belongs to and specifies its class.

II. Provide examples and non-examples: This helps to reinforce the learning by identifying the key attributes. A definition can be remembered through memorizing it. Providing examples with the definition helps to cement the learning, besides using examples to explain concept helps learners categorize objects based on similar properties.

III. Paint analogies: It allows to create a new learning with previously learned skill. Analogies jog the memory of the learner and help him/her correlate a new learning with previously learned skills and past experiences.Analogies are excellent instructional tools to explain abstract or concept sentences.

ROLE CONCEPT

A concept can be a role which means that it is not essential to all or some of its instances. for example, invasive species is a role because certain species may become invasive at some point in time and become native at a later point in time.