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Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom
Teach higher-order thinking while you’re teaching concepts, skills, and content!
This indispensable guide combines proven curriculum design with teaching methods that encourage students to learn concepts as well as content and skills for deep understanding across all subject areas. Synthesizing Lynn Erickson’s past 15 years of field work with teachers, curriculum developers, teacher educators, and instructional leaders, this resource offers a complete guide for designing curriculum and instruction to foster the continuous growth and development of students� critical, abstract, and creative learning skills. Educators will learn how
This indispensable guide combines proven curriculum design with teaching methods that encourage students to learn concepts as well as content and skills for deep understanding across all subject areas. Synthesizing Lynn Erickson’s past 15 years of field work with teachers, curriculum developers, teacher educators, and instructional leaders, this resource offers a complete guide for designing curriculum and instruction to foster the continuous growth and development of students� critical, abstract, and creative learning skills. Educators will learn how
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
53 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 12, 2015
This was a good text for me to read after teaching for a few years because it reminded me of some of what I'd learned in teacher training and forgotten. It also aligns nicely with a lot of new MYP policies from the IB, and so it was very relevant to me as an international school teacher. I got a lot of great ideas from this!
May 28, 2024
It was helpful to read through from a conceptual perspective, but when I went back to start implementing the design plan, I found the structure of the text cumbersome as a resouce. I also wish the lesson planning chapter had been more robust and included more upper level examples. It was very helpful since it helped me wrap my head around conceptual instruction, but was less helpful in the throes of unit design application.
February 16, 2013
THE 'go to' guide for anyone looking to deepening their Curriculm. Well organized and very usable.
March 20, 2022
If you are serious about teaching for deep understanding this is one of the most important books you could ever read. Erickson's work has been one of the most powerful influences on my teaching ever. She explains how to place concepts in the centre of your lesson planning in a way which ensures that you will be planning experiences for your students that have the highest probability of helping them deepen their conceptual understanding of the world around them in a way that lends itself to generalizing and conditionalizing knowledge. Knowledge learned in this way is more likely to be transferable, and what more noble goal for teachers in the 21st century could there be than transfer. The speed of technological change and the exponential growth of information mean that our students are going to face a world that we cannot even begin to imagine. Teaching facts for their own sake should have ended years ago, but sadly is still common in our schools. The only problem with Erickson's books is that they all pretty much restate the same arguments. If you have read one of her other books, don't bother with this one. I actually think that " Stirring the Head, Heart and Soul: Redefining Curriculum and Instruction" is her best attempt at this argument, but the publishers seem to think this one is. Anyway - read at least one of her books. They are powerful!
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January 25, 2023Read for work lol but it's actually quite interesting to break down what constitutes knowledge and how this understanding is impt in actl teaching someone else. Also making me evaluate my own experience of education and areas within my own intellect that are lacking( moreso how some features of this have manifested in my own education). i still feel rote learning is an issue and my own ability to think critically and independently is not as refined as it shld be-- likely because test taking doesnt account for these skills(and it wld be hard for it to) and even with these frameworks of enduring understandings, etc, the goal of doing well in a test leads to some detachment from material imo which stunts the actual development of intellect and refined thinking
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September 23, 2020This book finally helped me move to a deeper understanding of what it means to teach concepts over topics and content. Erickson presents the power of teaching for concepts by providing educators with the rationale, strategies, and evidence to begin the journey from a traditional teacher to an educator who places emphasis on the development of concepts and using content/topics as the individual hooks that enable personalized learning and student choice. There many connections to Understanding by design and this is a must-read for every PYP educator.
July 7, 2017
A very helpful book for those interested in the idea of concept based learning. For those using the IB curriculum, a must read although I think many teachers in IB schools still do not really appreciate or understand the ideas behind this approach. Should be compulsory reading for teachers new to the IB.
December 23, 2017
This is my favorite of the many concept-based books. It is clear and easy to reference. There are plenty of useful examples of concept-based unit plans and lessons. I especially like the section of myth busters. If you are looking for a practical guide for teaching conceptually, I highly recommend this book.
August 29, 2020
At times it was difficult to understand. Best to get the physical copy over the ebook, as the diagrams will help a lot with understanding. Especially if you are a visual learners.
May 5, 2022
Gamechanger. I will never think the same way about teaching again.
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April 13, 2024Academic book. Helpful for formulating an understanding of curriculum as a novice.
June 26, 2016
This was an intense word by word re-read and note taking exercise and was well worth it. Erickson's concept based model is compelling and powerful.
It is odd that some of the most important intellectual architecture is only scantly mentioned in passing, so that it would be missed easily on first read. She hardly touches on the differences between concept acquisition and generalisation formation, and yet is heavily informed by it. Erickson also implicitly frames UBD as classroom and task based, while taking a larger umbrella role for her model in terms of curriculum design - which actually makes a lot of sense.
Erickson's attack on the superficial 'verb from Bloom + topic' approach to designing-in 'understanding' to curriculum hits and destroys with laser guided precision, and was a new perspective and insight for me.
An important book.
It is odd that some of the most important intellectual architecture is only scantly mentioned in passing, so that it would be missed easily on first read. She hardly touches on the differences between concept acquisition and generalisation formation, and yet is heavily informed by it. Erickson also implicitly frames UBD as classroom and task based, while taking a larger umbrella role for her model in terms of curriculum design - which actually makes a lot of sense.
Erickson's attack on the superficial 'verb from Bloom + topic' approach to designing-in 'understanding' to curriculum hits and destroys with laser guided precision, and was a new perspective and insight for me.
An important book.
March 13, 2016
An excellent introduction to concept-based teaching and learning. This has helped to clarify my understanding of concept based teaching and given me ideas for implementing it effectively in my classroom. I especially recommend to any new to the IB curriculum, especially PYP, who does not have much experience with concept based teaching.
August 17, 2015
Excellent resource for teachers and administrators.
December 24, 2019
The concept based model is compelling and all kinds of powerful.
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