Concept Development Model
This model allows students to share their understanding of a concept and then to rearrange or modify that understanding by interacting with their peers' understandings through the development process.
This model works well as a pre-assessment because it allows the teacher to see what students already know about a specific topic. The process also allows for misconceptions to emerge and be corrected. Concept development also works as a formative assessment (students share and solidify their learning) or as a tool for organizing essays or presentations.
Steps of the Model
- List as many items as possible that are associated with the subject (brainstorming)
- Let students be creative in answering. Don't interrupt their thought process.
- Correct misconceptions as they arise.
- Group the items because they are alike in some way.
- Examine the relationships among items.
- Don't leave any items out. Include them all.
- Label the groups by defining the reasons for grouping.
- Students must explain the reasons for their groupings.
- Steps 2 and 3 might happen at the same time, or you might go back and forth.
- Regroup or subsume individual items or whole groups under other groups.
- Expose multiple perspectives.
- Question previous groupings.
- Synthesize the information by summarizing the data and forming generalizations.
- Students summarize trends in one or two sentences.
- You may have a generalization for each group as well as an umbrella generalization.
- Evaluate students' progress by assessing their ability to generate a wide variety of items and to group those items flexibly
- Look for improved flexibility in learning over time.
Variations on the Model
- To save time or to make sure certain items are included, the teacher may provide the brainstorming items and have the students group them.
- The teacher may provide the labels. For example, you can have the students label their groups themselves, but then you provide them specific labels for step 4 (the regrouping).
