Today’s focus was on invoking active participation in the classroom.  By active participation I mean having students purposefully engaged – with minds on and, whenever possible, hands on – in their learning.

One great strategy for getting students to mentally engage with material is concept attainment.

The Hook – A Data Set on Comparison Devices in Poetry

I started class by having you engage with a concept attainment data set full of personification, metaphors, and similes. Here it is:

• Personification, Metaphor, & Similes Data Set

We followed all the steps on the concept attainment process:

1. Presentation of the Data & Identification of the Concept
2. Confirming the Concept
3. Extending the Thinking About the Concept

The Body of the Lesson

After that initial data set and experience, I used the following PPT slideshow to structure the rest of class.  Here’s the slideshow:

• Concept Attainment PPT Slideshow – LLED 320 (2011)

We did the following:

• Considered a rationale for CA
• Defined CA
• Applied the 3 Stages of CA with a Triuns data set
• Glimpsed 2 other CA data sets
  • Conflict in literature
  • Fact and Opinion
• Attributes of concepts
• Two types of concepts
  • conjunctive (definitive)
  • dysjunctive (sensitizing)
• TC partnerships developed their own data sets
• TCs played the “Yes No Game” with fellow TCs

Closure

We debriefed the experience of working with CA

Concept Attainment Resources

Here’s the data set on a literary term that I used in the middle of the presentation:

• 2010 LLED 320 Data Set on Conflict

… and here’s another data set on Fact and Opinion:

• 2010 LLED 320 Data Set on Fact & Opinion

Suprisingly, YouTube has a few videos on the topic.  For instance, here’s a data set on renewable and non-renewable resources:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vihCWCIobOg&NR=1[/youtube]

Here’s another on totalitarianism, a theme in the novel 1984:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jPHzkbvaEQ[/youtube]

If you’re keen to play with CA on your prac… and I strongly suggest you do, here are some data sets I’ve used in my classroom over the years to help stimulate your thinking about the possiblities:

LA

• Poetic Devices Met-Sim-Pers Yes No Game Data Set
• Attention Grabber Yes No Game Data Set
• Alliteration Yes No Game Data Set
• Persuasive Speech Topics Yes No Game Data Set
• Disagreeing Agreeably Yes No Game Data Set

MATH

• Fractions Yes No Game Data Set
• Negative #’s Yes No Game Data Set
• Powers of 10 Yes No Game Data Set

HACE

• Short-Term Goals Yes No Game Data Set

Here’s a visual data set similar to the Triuns one that you could use to intro the topic of CA with your students:

Finally, here’s the Bennett reading I mentioned in class.  It will give you a deeper understanding of how you can use CA effectively in your classroom:

• CA Reading Package from Bennett’s Beyond Monet

Cheers,

– Lawrence