Concept-based Learning: Boosting Learning Within Classrooms

Teachers struggle constantly with the huge load of facts and topics that must be covered. However, what if we - as teachers - could use a strategy that would help our students make neural connections beyond those facts and concepts hence making their learning process a meaningful one?

Concept-based instruction facilitates transdisciplinary learning by connecting new mental constructs to prior knowledge, new concepts and ideas across subjects in order to develop deep understanding. Among the strategies that fall under this big title is to allow students make generalizations, develop big ideas, ask questions to connect new information into prior ones as well as to real life. The 'Why we are learning this?' and 'Why is this important to know or do?' center the learning into useful ideas, make students motivated upon learning, and allow the brain to make deeper connections and patterns between macro and microconcepts as well as to mentally construct and organize ideas.

This type of meaningful learning triggers integrated thinking as students are going to face different types of questions, make discussions that trigger higher order thinking, and helps them integrate between factual and conceptual learning.