Assignment: Concepts or Content

Assignment: Concepts or Content
Assignment: Concepts or Content
Assignment: Concepts or Content
Week 6 – Assignment 2 Assignment 2: Practicum I Journal Entry 4 This is your fourth out of six journal assignments in this course. Write a 300–500-word journal entry covering the following: Identify two or three goals for this week that you have established for yourself related to Practicum I. Review and reflect on how you met these goals this week. Explain how you integrated two concepts or content areas from Week 6 into your practicum experience this week. Identify your area of greatest learning this week. Submit your journal entry to the Journal area by Tuesday, October 10, 2017. Name your journal entry SU_NSG6620_W6_A2_LastName_FirstInitial.What is concept-based instruction?
Concept-based instruction is driven by “big ideas” rather than subject-specific content. By leading students to
consider the context in which they will use their understanding, concept-based learning brings “real world” meaning to
content knowledge and skills. Students become critical thinkers which is essential to their ability to creatively solve
problems in the 21st century.
By introducing students to universal themes and engaging them in active learning, concept-based instruction:
creates connections to students’ prior experience.
brings relevance to student learning.
facilitates deeper understanding of content knowledge.
acts as a springboard for students to respond to their learning with action.
(Erickson 2008)
Why is it worth our time?
Concept-based instruction, by placing the learning process in the “big picture” context of a transdisciplinary
theme, leads students to think about content and facts “at a much deeper level” and “as a practitioner would in that
discipline” (Schill & Howell 2011). According to the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), teaching and
learning that is driven by overarching concepts necessitates that students transfer their knowledge between personal
experiences, learning from other disciplines, and the broader global community. Thus, concept-based instruction
mandates more critical thinking at increasingly higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy.