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Concept Based Learning in History

bit.ly/HTAVconcepts

Ilja van Weringh and Ashley Keith Pratt

@vanweringh and @ashleypratt

#conceptbasedlearning

#historyteacher

#HTAVAC18

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Workshop outline

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Aims

A lot of what we will look at you already do.

This workshop will highlight how you already use concepts in your pedagogy.

We aim to help you be deliberate, purposeful and explicit, to lift the level of thinking in your classroom.

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Why concept based learning (CBL)?

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The olden days....

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Facts Facts Facts Facts

Facts Facts Facts Facts

Facts Facts Facts Facts

Facts Facts Facts Facts

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CONTENT

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Project based learning, Climate Change, John Hattie’s Effect Sizes, Coding, Democracy, Critical Thinking, Globalisation, Digital Literacy, National Curriculum, Inequality, 21st Century Capabilities, Fake news, Cross-curriculum priorities, Refugees, 3D-Printing, Artificial Intelligence, Differentiation, Crispr, Visible Thinking, ACARA, Social Media, Innovation, etc.

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Project based learning, Climate Change, John Hattie’s Effect Sizes, Coding, Democracy, Critical Thinking, Globalisation, Digital Literacy, National Curriculum, Inequality, 21st Century Capabilities, Fake news, Cross-curriculum priorities, Refugees, 3D-Printing, Artificial Intelligence, Differentiation, Crispr, Visible Thinking, ACARA, Social Media, Innovation, etc.

All these factors and issues highlight the need for sophisticated, critical thinking…

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The chief goal of instruction, right alongside the development of content understanding, is the advancement of thinking”

Ron Ritchhart, Creating Cultures of Thinking, 2015, p33.

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Conceptual transfer helps students see patterns and connections between similar situations; �and provides a springboard for complex thinking and understanding – two critical areas of focus for workplace readiness, as well as lifelong learning.��Erickson, H. Lynn, and Lois A. Lanning. Transitioning to Concept-based Curriculum and Instruction: How to Bring Content and Process Together. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, a SAGE Company, 2014.p21

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What is concept based learning?

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Let’s first look at the traditional “two-dimensional” curriculum model which focuses on factual content and skills. Here deliberate conceptual understanding and the transfer of knowledge is often assumed or implied.

Figure 1. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional curriculum and instruction (taken from Erickson 2008).: Erickson, H. (2012). Concept-based teaching and learning.IB Position Paper [online] Ibmidatlantic.org. Available at: http://www.ibmidatlantic.org/Concept_Based_Teaching_Learning.pdf [Accessed 21 Jul. 2018].

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Concept-based instruction lifts facts and content in to a three-dimensional curriculum model which frames facts and skills with concepts, generalisations and principles.

Figure 1. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional curriculum and instruction (taken from Erickson 2008).: Erickson, H. (2012). Concept-based teaching and learning.IB Position Paper [online] Ibmidatlantic.org. Available at: http://www.ibmidatlantic.org/Concept_Based_Teaching_Learning.pdf [Accessed 21 Jul. 2018].

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Gaining factual knowledge is important, but it usually represents simple cognitive work.

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To think conceptually, a student must use facts and skills to discern patterns, connections and deeper understanding.

�Conceptual thinking allows for the transfer of knowledge across time, place and situation. This enables students to analyse, evaluate and make generalisations.

Source: Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom. 2nd Edition. 2017 Lynn Erickson, Lois Lanning, Rachel French. Corwin Press. P11

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Concepts are like a key; they help open up learning in other areas.

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The structure of knowledge by Lynn Erickson.

  • We start at the bottom with the FACTS.
  • The TOPIC is derived from the facts.
  • From there teachers decide on CONCEPTS to focus on.
  • The CONCEPTS are used to create a GENERALISATION.
  • GENERALISATIONS are the significant, conceptual ideas that students must understand at a deeper level as a result of the unit study.
  • A unit may have 5 to 9 generalisations, depending on grade level and length of unit.

Source: Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom. 2nd Edition. 2017 Lynn Erickson, Lois Lanning, Rachel French. Corwin Press. P29

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The student understands that… Migration may lead to new opportunities or greater freedom.

The student understands that… People migrate to meet a variety of needs.�

The student understands that… Different waves of migrations can shape diversity and culture.

Migration, Identity, Freedom, Multiculturalism, Diversity, Culture

Australia’s Waves of Migration

Migration patterns, White Australia Policy, ‘Populate or Perish’, Bonegilla, Snowy River Scheme, Displaced Persons Scheme, Vietnam war, etc

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Generalisations apply across time, place and situation

  • The student understands that… Migration may lead to new opportunities or greater freedom.
  • The student understands that… People migrate to meet a variety of needs.
  • The student understands that… Different waves of migrations shape diversity and culture.

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Lifting the thinking

The real value in teaching through concepts is in the generalisation stage.

Students can write their own generalisations, based on the concepts in the unit.

To teach conceptually, you must always be on the lookout for opportunities to go beyond the facts and extrapolate to other situations.

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Concept: Ideology

How do leaders use ideology in their rise to power?

Mao

Lenin

Hitler

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This is the ‘Frayer model’. A great graphic organiser for exploring concepts.

WORD

Non Examples

Characteristics

Examples

Definition

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Ideology

a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy. OR �Ideology is a framework of cogent arguments culminating in a world view that supports a certain conception of human nature and existence.

Slogans, symbols, leader, manifestos, recognition, power, belonging, ideas, persuasion, propaganda, speeches, myths, conform,

Classical liberalism, Marxism, Leninism, Neo-liberalism, Communism, Trotskyism, Stalinism, Maoism, Fascism, Capitalism

Disbelief, iconoclasm, nihilism, religion, vacuum, anarchy

Definition

Characteristics

Examples

Non- Examples

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Concept: Ideology

How do leaders use ideology in their rise to power?

Mao

    • JiangXi Soviet, Yan'An Soviet, land redistribution, Cult of Personality, Marxist revolution, importance of peasants, continuous revolution, self-criticism and rectification, ruthless determination, contrast with GMD, Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention, large character posters

Lenin

    • April Theses, world wide socialist revolution, immediate end of war, Soviet to take over Provisional Government, land redistribution, "Bread, Peace and Land“ rhetoric, Marxism, democratic centralism, dictatorship of the proletariat, Order Nr1, Cult of Personality

Hitler

    • Gleichschaltung, rejection of socialism and democracy, nationalism, pan- germanism, Mein Kampf, expansionism, authoritaria nism, conservative values and traditions, self- sufficiency, cult of personality, volksgemeinschaft, totalitarianism, racialism, nationalism, militarism, economic sovereignty..

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Lifting the thinking with concept based questions:

How do different perspectives on society lead to different ideologies?

How have ideologies changed over time?

Do ideologies always arise from disparities in power and resources?

To what extent are ideologies catalysts for change?

What beliefs and ideas do current leaders use to win elections?

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Think-Pair-Share

What’s a fact?

What’s a skill?

What’s a concept?

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Think-Pair-Share

Perspective

Taking perspective

Primary source

Analysis

Watt’s steam engine, 1781

Empathy

Terror

The Terror

Terrorism

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Definitions

A concept is an organising idea, They are timeless, universal and abstract to different degrees and have different examples with common attributes.

Facts are specific examples of people, places, situations or things. Facts do not transfer, they are locked in time, place or situation.

A skill is the ability, coming from one's knowledge, practice, aptitude, etc, to do something well.

Source: Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom. 2nd Edition. 2017 Lynn Erickson, Lois Lanning, Rachel French. Corwin Press. P75, P11

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Historical Thinking Concepts

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Historical Thinking Concepts

“Disciplines such as history have their own modes of inquiry, networks of concepts and principles, theoretical frameworks, symbolic systems, vocabularies, and modes of self-regulation.” (p. 7)

“Perhaps more puzzling are the recent research findings revealing that even the best-qualified history teachers - with graduate degrees in history - do not necessarily engage their students in disciplinary historical thinking, so busy are they covering content for board and state examinations…” (p. 13)

Lévesque, Stéphane. 2008. Thinking historically: educating students for the twenty-first century. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

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Historical Thinking Concepts

Substantive Concepts

Substantive concepts are concerned with the subject matter of history – the substance about which students are learning. Some of these concepts (such as Calvinism or Menshivism) are highly specific to a particular period or place – and it is easy to recognise that their meaning needs to be explicitly taught. (source)

Procedural Concepts

Procedural knowledge encompasses concepts that enable historical inquiry. (source) Procedural knowledge concentrates on the concepts and vocabulary that provide ‘the structural basis for the discipline.’ They are … the conceptual tools needed for the study of the past as a discipline and the construction of the content of historical knowledge. (source)

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Historical Thinking Concepts

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Historical Thinking Concepts

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Historical Thinking Concepts

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Historical Thinking Concepts

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Historical Thinking Concepts

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Historical Thinking Concepts

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Historical Thinking Concepts

Jongebloed & Pratt (2017)

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Ideas for the classroom

Some resources and ways to approach this in the classroom:

Ashley

Ilja

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Sharing

bit.ly/HTAVshareconcepts

Share your activities or rough ideas.

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Further reading...

Historical Thinking Concepts

  • Whitehouse, John. 2015. Historical Thinking: A Framework for Learning and Teaching History. Educational Practice and Theory 37(2): 51-58.
  • Seixas, Peter. 2017. A Model of Historical Thinking. Educational Philosophy and Theory 49(6): 593-605.
  • Lévesque, Stéphane. 2008. Thinking historically: educating students for the twenty-first century. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
  • Seixas, Peter & Morton, Tom. 2013. The big six historical thinking concepts. Toronto: Nelson Education.

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Where to next?

Q&A

bit.ly/HTAVshareconcepts

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Contact us…

Ilja van Weringh

Ashley Keith Pratt

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Also check out Nick Frigo’s presentation on “Historical Thinking Made Visible” with a focus on a range of tools from the Google Suite of apps for Education”. Presented at the HTAV Annual Conference on Thursday the 26th of July 2018.