What is the Concept Attainment Model?

What is the Concept Attainment Model?

       The concept attainment model is a teaching model that instructors can use in order to help educate students on a subject. In this blog I will explain how concept attainment models can help students learn in the classroom, and also focus on how concept attainment models can help specifically in language arts instruction. Let's first start with a little background information on what the concept attainment model is.
      The goal of the concept attainment model is to help students gain an in depth understanding of a more general and broad concept (Joyce, 1990). The phases of the model look a little something like this:

Phase 1:  The teacher presents data to the students. For a concept that is concrete, the teacher may provide actual objects or examples and non-examples. If the concept is abstract, the teacher may provide examples in the form of scenarios or case studies (Johnson, 1992).

The students then generate and test hypotheses from the data that they have been given.

Phase 2: Students have the hypothesis confirmed, they then begin to identify the characteristics of the concept. Typically in a group or as a class, students discuss the characteristics that were present in the examples that made them create the concept. Out of the characteristics that they have identified, they are then sorted in essential and non-essential characteristics for that concept (Johnson, 1992).

Students will then generate a definition of their concept. This definition will be shared as a class or to other members in a group so that they are able to compare and contrast their definition with others (Johnson, 1992).

Phase 3: The third phase of the model allows students the opportunity to test their new concept (Johnson, 1992). The teacher will provide more examples and the students will determine whether or not they fit into their definition of the concept.


                                                 References

Johnson, Julie M. Carlson, Susan. Kastl, John. 1992. Developing Conceptual Thinking: The Concept

             Attainment Model. Clearing House. Volume 66.

Joyce, B., and M Weil. 1990. Models of Teaching. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall.