Conceptual Framing and Developmental Understanding
Live the Questions, Love the Concepts
I love to play around with ideas. Sure, I can get down and dirty, focus on what is practical or pragmatic, but by and large the things that interest me in life are concepts. Word puzzles, thoughts and riddles. The realms of what ifs and what could have been. It is without a doubt why I ended up focusing so much of my interest and attention in the humanities and the “soft sciences.” I love concepts. I love questions not answers. As Rainer Maria Rilke once wrote, “Live the questions.” That was a motto of mine. Well, let’s be honest, it is a motto of mine. However, not everyone is like me, and while there are times I certainly lament that fact because it makes my life a constant struggle to explain and clarify, I also celebrate that fact because my life is a constant struggle to explain and clarify.
As I walked into Methods for the first time, I must admit, I felt woefully out of my league. Sure, I had been around the block a time or too, but I had been trapped, by and large, in academia. Sure, I loved education and I wanted to share my love of learning with students, but love and interest do now always translate into success in the classroom. I had only a vague notion of what to do in the classroom. And to be perfectly honest, it had been over a decade since I was in a high school classroom and nearly two decades since I was in a middle school classroom (we called them junior highs back in the day). So I was feeling pretty clueless on how to teach concepts, especially when everything I had been learning about the current educational environment screamed testing and standards and rote memorization. I couldn’t yet articulate, but I was really wanting to bust out of remembering and understanding and really focus on analyzing and applying.
And then along comes some SIMS from the University of Kansas (or Kansas University as I know it, go Jayhawks!). There was something both difficult and easy as we walked through the different routines, first the concept diagram and then the frames routine. It didn’t take me very long to employ this in the classroom. During my field internship at Green Mountain High School, I found myself helping Mr Lazenby and the students prepare for an upcoming test by using both the FRAMES Routine and the Concept Diagram. In that instance, I did not gather student work and I only spent a few minutes introducing the form to students. However, I knew I would use it again. I just needed to find the right fit and time during my student-teaching experience.
Framing Policy and Diagraming Media
I started full-time student-teaching at Thomas Jackson Middle at the end of February. I knew that for the Civics & Economics SOL 9 there were going to be a number of concepts and ideas that were relatively new to students, so I decided I wanted to employ the Frames and Concept Diagram for this first unit. My intent was that I would introduce students to the Frame early in the unit, completing the form as a class. The following day I would employ a similar process this time with the Concept Diagram. Students would then use these forms to study and prepare, and I would then do a So What? type activity the week before the test as a review. It was important to me that I do two things 1) Model how to properly complete both the Frame and and Concept Diagram, and 2) Do this early enough in the unit so they would be familiar with the form and structure for later in the unit.
So Whats?
Days past by and students delved into the “meat” of the unit itself. We started to work with worksheets, a little with textbooks, but mostly different types of in-class activities including Diigo. The unit itself was oddly designed because of some scheduling issues. So by the end of the second week I felt it was time for a review. I had fully intended to have the review the day before the unit assessment, in this case a test. Since this was an SOL test class, and I knew students were familiar with quizzes and the like, I wanted to maintain some continuity with Mr Longstreet. And while I did include a number of alternative assessments, including projects and simulations, I felt the best way to assess for these students as well as prepare them for the SOL in May was to give a test.
Now, I must admit I am still a little fuzzy on the whole concept of “So Whats?” with regard to assessment and reviews. But I knew that it was more than merely going over the material again. Reviews should be covering the material, but they should also be a way for students to engage facilities beyond remembering. This was especially important to me as I was giving students a couple short answer questions.
While students were given until the end of the period to complete these, they actually had the weekend and another three days with which they could study and prepare and alter their Frames and Concept Diagrams. I had given them several copies of the routines so they could make their own, or in case they made a mistake they could re-write on the reverse side.
Conclusion
As with all things in life, practice makes perfect. Certainly, this is true of using these in the classroom. While I am convinced now, more than ever of these are invaluable tools for education there is still a nagging concern about their efficacy. Only time will truly be able to answer that question for myself. However, I have learned a few things based on my experience this past year, especially with regard to student-teaching.
- Modeling is key. Not only is it important to do the pre-write/create so one can anticipate certain comments and questions, but one needs to show how to do it for the class. Spending time walking through the process is not wasted time. In fact it is time well spent. And if I can managed to do this early enough in the year and give students the tools, some might actually employ this type of graphic organizer themselves, outside of the class. Here is where, unsurprising, I think Prezi might be a great tool because giving students a Prezi version of this might be a perfect way to connect concept attainment with technology. Plus this type of graphic organizer, while mostly linear has elements of non-linearality to it and thus is perfect for Prezi.
- Working with students is key. I loved how well the first day of Concept Diagramming went. Not only did students feel a sense of ownership in crafting their definitions, but it also showed that students have knowledge they can bring to the discussion that may not always be directly related to the content covered in the class.
- Sometimes you just have to give information to students. Sure, by and large, these kinds of routines are designed so that students can assert themselves and provide their own understandings, but they are still students. They are still children and sometimes they need frames and structures. And yes, even information and explanation. Giving students knowledge is not a failure but a reality.
- Beware of using for review. While I do love the idea of using this as a review activity, it might need to be tempered. Perhaps having students share their Concepts and Frames with the class, and allow others to chime might be a better way to go. Plus, it would allow myself and other educators to more clearly monitor what students are pulling together and possibly using as forms for reviews. I certainly think I might have helped students with their short answer question about agency if I had spent more time talking about it in class AND providing my own thoughts on it during the Jigsaw Review.
- These are not the only ways to play with concepts. As we’ve discovered during seminar this semester, Concept Attainment is another fine option and one which I hope to play with more in the future.
Addendum : Course Organizer
The SIMS from the University of Kansas go beyond merely Concept Diagram and Frame Routine. There are a variety of other graphic organizers available and viable. I would like to conclude my blog by looking, albeit briefly, at how I used and adapted a Course Organizer for my class.
Unorthodox History 
I really think the multimodal approach works well as a way to reflect on your activities– the screencasts really add to your narrative reflection. You have hit upon a really nice way to reflect – to recall critical incidents and well remembered events- and provide evidentiary warrant while also looking forward with regard to your own practice. I am not sure you could get the level of reflection on action as you do here by writing alone..
So what comes first the writing or the screen cast– What process do you go through to develop your reflections
and you manage to squeeze out a prezi– – important to point out- that you used this in class to help students map out the terrain of their upcoming unit — right?
One of the key things for me with the frame is the so what at the end– pulling the pieces together– which goes to significance, relevance and consolidation.
Stuff like this takes a while as you note– but the focus – as you show- is really on student learning and information processing.
Yeah, I too have become a fan of the multimodal approach. I am becoming more of a fan of vlogs, and I think that might have worked well in here as well, but you do not want to overload people with too many video narratives and screencasts.
My process really depends upon my aim. In some cases, I sit down, look at the materials and kind of “wing it” with regard to the screencasts. But with regard to this particular piece I opted to write out almost everything. I did ad lib a couple lines during the screencasts as thoughts occurred to me. The screencasts provide some nice visual warrants, but I wonder if the audio gets mumbled up or forgotten along the way since it is never quite as polished as a written piece.