Concept Learning
Thinking Skills: Learning for Meaning/Concepts
Some of what we learn is more complicated than memorizing facts. This requires a slightly different approach. Good teachers often organize concepts into a hierarchy of complexity and ask their students to consider various aspects of a concept.
1. Remembering : this is basically rote learning -- the simplest and most tedious type of learning.
2. Understanding : this is where you are able to explain or summarize what you learned. This is when your mom or dad asked you: what did you do in school today? It is little bit more tricky than the first step because it makes you stop and think for a minute. You need to developa summary. Another tool you can use is the KWL chart. Make three columns. Under the K you write what you already knew. Under the W write some things that make you wonder. Under the L what you learned in class. The W column is the most important because it engages the limbic system. It gives you a chance to care about what you are learning. And it might inspire you to go beyond what was presented in class.
3. Applying: this is when you use the information in a new way. So if you learn the verb ‘regarder’ you might want to try it at home in a few new ways.
4. Analyzing: this is where you compare or contrast things. A good study tool for this kind of learning is the venn diagram.
5. Evaluating: this is where you judge or evaluate something. It often involves the question ‘why?’
6. Creating: this is where you are asked to make something new.
If your teacher doesn’t present the information using this kind of hierarchy, you can do it for yourself. When you go to study ask yourself to answer increasingly complex questions. And don't skimp on the last two levels. They are rarely used in most classrooms but they are the ones that tend to evoke emotional responses and emotional responses = better retention and deeper understanding.
Some of what we learn is more complicated than memorizing facts. This requires a slightly different approach. Good teachers often organize concepts into a hierarchy of complexity and ask their students to consider various aspects of a concept.
1. Remembering : this is basically rote learning -- the simplest and most tedious type of learning.
2. Understanding : this is where you are able to explain or summarize what you learned. This is when your mom or dad asked you: what did you do in school today? It is little bit more tricky than the first step because it makes you stop and think for a minute. You need to developa summary. Another tool you can use is the KWL chart. Make three columns. Under the K you write what you already knew. Under the W write some things that make you wonder. Under the L what you learned in class. The W column is the most important because it engages the limbic system. It gives you a chance to care about what you are learning. And it might inspire you to go beyond what was presented in class.
3. Applying: this is when you use the information in a new way. So if you learn the verb ‘regarder’ you might want to try it at home in a few new ways.
4. Analyzing: this is where you compare or contrast things. A good study tool for this kind of learning is the venn diagram.
5. Evaluating: this is where you judge or evaluate something. It often involves the question ‘why?’
6. Creating: this is where you are asked to make something new.
If your teacher doesn’t present the information using this kind of hierarchy, you can do it for yourself. When you go to study ask yourself to answer increasingly complex questions. And don't skimp on the last two levels. They are rarely used in most classrooms but they are the ones that tend to evoke emotional responses and emotional responses = better retention and deeper understanding.