Concepts: depth, not coverage

A perpetual challenge for teachers is overcoming the temptation of trying to teach too much material and content. Many lesson plans and courses I examine attempt way too much content coverage to be effective. The fact is that learning is not an efficient process, and we can only absorb so much information at one time without needing to “make connections” or use it in order for it to be meaningful. When it comes to meaningful learning, the issue is depth, not coverage. And, when it comes to effective teaching, “less is more.”

One of the most effective ways to teach for depth is to focus on concepts. When I work with teachers I find that many have an inkling that they want to “teach about” something, but they often don’t identify the underlying concept that will help the learner attain depth of understanding. The conversation goes something like this:

Me: “So, tell me, what do you want your students to learn?”

Teacher: “Well, I want to teach about ______.”

Me: “O.k, but that’s not what I asked. What do you want your students to learn?”

Teacher: “Ummm. What do you mean?”

Me: “Well, when you say you want to teach your students about _______, what is the one key concept you want them to understand?”

Teacher: Blank stare. “What do you mean, ‘concept’?”

A simple definition of concepts is, “concepts consist of a category (class or set) and the attributes by which to tell whether or not an object belongs to the category.” Concepts are powerful because they are bearers of meaning, as opposed to merely agents of meaning. The fundamental dynamics of learning are all about how our minds process, create, and integrate concepts. Therefore, if you want to help your learners acquire depth of understanding, then focus on concepts.

Deep learning consists of:

• The ability to define, explain, and illustrate the concept
• The ability to transfer learning (application) of the concept from one context (classroom or learning environment) to another (the real world)
• The ability to see the connections and interconnections of the concept with other concepts, contexts, fields, and disciplines (depth of understanding also has breadth)
• The ability to understand the informing principles related to the concepts
• The ability to use the concept to create new knowledge or products
• The ability to extrapolate implications and draw inferences from the concept.

Strive to be effective in your teaching by (1) identifying the concepts related to the subject you are teaching, (2) teach one concept at a time, (3) teach for depth rather than coverage, (4) guide your students through learning activities that help them practice the abilities of deep understanding (see the bulleted list above).