I have to do a silly lesson for class tomorrow. It's a "concept attainment" lesson, and it's for all the inductive learners out there. It's kind of funny, I mean, my lesson is sort of lame, but the other science student is finding it impossible to do this thing. He can't think of a single concept to teach in this way.
Okay, what I have to do is give the "class" a bunch of examples and nonexamples of a concept, but the thing is, I don't tell them what the concept is! Woohoo! Isn't that a great twist? Yeah, I thought so. The "students" have to figure out what the examples have in common that the nonexamples don't. From there they formulate a rule or definition, then if we're lucky, somebody knows the name of the concept, if not, then I tell them.
Isn't that a great way to teach chemistry? Yeah, I bet it really works.
Anyway, so I thought of a concept, a really basic, easy one, and the other science person can't find one. He's so frustrated, because he doesn't think this way- inductive thinking is completely foreign to him. I like seeing Coach squirm. It makes me grin.
An example of my concept is: a kazoo.
A nonexample of my concept is: sound.
An example of my concept is: a mirror.
A nonexample of my concept is: your reflection.
An example of my concept is: a flashlight
A nonexample of my concept is: a beam of light
An example of my concept is: a plant
A nonexample of my concept is: its shadow
An example of my concept is: smoke
A nonexample of my concept is: fire
An example of my concept is: perfume
A nonexample of my concept is: its smell
Do you know the concept? What are some more examples or nonexamples? What are some of the defining characteristics of my examples? What would be a definiton for the concept? And yes, I am bringing all the examples to class as visual aides. Yes, I'm blowing the kazoo.