1. Teaching Concepts
Kim Wartschow
Information taken from the book, Instructional Design, by
Smith & Ragan (2005).
2. What is a concept?
According to the article, a concept is “a set
of specific objects, symbols, or events
which are grouped together on the basis of
shared characteristics and which can be
referenced by a particular name or
symbol” (Merrill & Tennyson, 1977, p.
3).
4. Types of concepts:
As the article tells us, there are types of
concepts.
Concrete concepts (known by their
physical characteristics)
Abstract concepts (know only as they fit
a particular definition
5. What learners need to do:
When learning a concept, one needs to
generalize
Learners can overgeneralize; or
Learners can under-generalize
6. Overgeneralization:
Learners who overgeneralize do not
discriminate between examples.
From the article: a young girl may learn
what a cow is and then call, “cow,” to
pictures of any large, four-legged animal
(moose, horse, zebra, etc.)
9. Expository Approach:
“presents the concept, its label, and its
criterial attributes earlier in the lesson
sequence”
“presents many examples and non-
examples; however, these instances follow
a discussion of a best example and how it
embodies the characteristics of the
concept.”
13. What does this mean?
How does all of this information apply to
Physical Education?
How can I use teaching concepts in my
classes?
14. The Pass:
Passes are used in almost all team sports
Basketball passes are used to create
movement and opportunity within the
game
Soccer passing is also used in the same
way
15. The Pass:
For the sake of basketball and soccer, we
will say that a pass is the action of one
person sending the ball to another person
on their same team who is in a different
location on the court/field
16. How to teach it:
Give audio and text definitions
Give video examples
Give live demonstrations and practice
Provide opportunity for application of
knowledge
17. Application of Knowledge:
Why use a pass?
What is its purpose?
How could it be used?
What else could it look like/different
types of passes
18. The Presentation:
Create an interactive presentation with a
character/characters that will pique
students’ interest
Give them opportunities to make choices
(“yes” or “no”)
19. And that’s a wrap!
I hope you enjoyed learning about
concepts and how to teach them