CONCEPT-BASED TEACHING & LEARNING

From a traditional two-dimensional approach to a three-dimensional one.
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Transfer of knowledge.

The conceptual level of understanding.

  • Principles
  • Content

Concept-based teaching and learning

  • Connected to real-life scenarios.
  • Case Study.

IB and the concept-based principle.
concept base principle

PYP

MYP

DP

  • MYP key concepts draw thinking beyond the facts.
  • Students must process the facts through their personal intellect—the conceptual mind.
  • - Values deeper critical thinking and conceptual understanding.
  • MYP asks teachers to use a key concept and a more discipline-specific related concept to state a central idea and concept statement respectively.
  • Transdisciplinary in nature.
  • Transdisciplinary themes (for example, who we are, how the world works).
    - Supports international-mindedness and understanding of other cultures.
  • frame the concepts, skills, attitudes, and actions linked to what is real and relevant in the world through the design of programs of inquiry.
  • Values deeper critical thinking and conceptual understanding.
  • PYP key concepts draw thinking beyond the facts.
  • Values deeper critical thinking and conceptual understanding.
  • Requires for the theory of knowledge course.
    - Specific concepts in subjects draw thinking beyond the simple facts.
  • The structure and requirements for the EE.
  • To ensure that students know the attributes and meaning of the subject area concepts.
    - Supports international-mindedness and understanding of other cultures.

Benefits of the concept-based principle for students.

Thinking

Intercultural understanding

Facilitates “synergistic thinking”

Deeper intellectual processing

Develops conceptual structures in the brain

Transfer of knowledge at the conceptual level.

Transfer of learning across global contexts

Encourages inquiry into global issues of concern

Motivation for learning

Students think about the facts through a relevant and personally engaging key concept.

Values and respects individual thinking.

Encourages constructivist learning experiences

Values collaborative thinking, discussions, and problem-solving

Fluency with language

Illuminates the conceptual structures of “meta-language”

Builds increasing fluency with disciplinary language

Reinforces a common conceptual vocabulary

Required pedagogical shifts?

Synergistic thinking

Transfer of knowledge and skills

Social construction of meaning

Challenges
challenges

Curriculum development.

The curriculum must be concept-based to meet the goals of transfer of knowledge, deep conceptual understanding, synergistic thinking, intercultural understanding, and personal intellectual engagement.

Assessment

Teacher training.

If teachers do not understand the concept-based model and required shifts in pedagogy they will fall back on traditional teaching methods and fail to affect the transfer of knowledge and deep understanding

Assess to the conceptual level of understanding, rather than just to the factual level.