Overview of Information Processing Model Family Methods

 Instructional Families a teacher can use in the classroom: Information-processing Model Methods

(IPM Techniques, Mnemonic Devices, Inquiry Training, Concept Teaching, Problem-Based Instruction, Experiential Learning, etc.)

• Unlike other models in which the emphasis is on presenting ideas and demonstrating skills, IP Model family has teachers present problem situations to students and get them to investigate and find solutions on their own.
• The instructional goals of IPM are threefold: to help students develop investigative skills and problem-solving skills, to provide students experiences with adult roles, and to allow students to gain confidence in their own ability to think, access, process, reflect on the information and become self-regulated learners.
• The general flow or syntax of IPM lessons consist of five major phases: orient students to the problem; organize students for study; assist with independent and group investigations; develop and present artifacts and exhibits; and analyze and evaluate work.
• The learning environment of IPM is characterized by openness, active student involvement, and an atmosphere of intellectual freedom.

Theoretical and Empirical Support

• IPM (Inquiry, PBL) has its intellectual roots in the Socratic method dating back to the early Greeks but has been expanded by ideas stemming from twentieth-century cognitive psychology and Constructivism.
• The knowledge base on problem-based instruction is rich and complex. Several meta-analyses done in the last few years provide a clear picture of the model's instructional effects.
• Over the past three decades, considerable attention has been devoted to teaching approaches known by various names-discovery learning, inquiry training, higher-level thinking - all of which focus on helping students become independent, autonomous learners capable of figuring things out for themselves.

Planning and Conducting Inquiry, Problem-Based Lessons

• Major planning tasks associated with problem-based instruction consist of communicating goals clearly, designing interesting and appropriate problem situations, and logistical preparation.
• During the investigative phase of inquiry, problem-based lessons, teachers serve as facilitators and guides of student investigations.

Managing the Learning Environment

• Particular management tasks associated with inquiry, problem-based instruction include dealing with a multitask learning environment; adjusting to different finishing rates; finding ways to monitor student work; and managing an array of materials, supplies and out-of-class logistics.

Assessment and Evaluation

• Assessment and evaluation tasks appropriate for inquiry, problem-based learning necessitate finding alternative assessment procedures to measure such student work as performances and exhibits. These procedures go by the names of performance assessment, authentic assessment, and portfolios.

Overview of Concept Teaching

• Concepts are the basic building blocks around which people organize their thinking and communication.
• Concept learning and logical thinking are critical goals for almost everything taught in schools. These become important scaffolding for building student understanding of school subjects. Concept learning is essentially a process of putting things into classes or categories.
• The instructional goals of concept teaching are mainly to help learners acquire conceptual understandings of the subjects they are studying and to provide a foundation for higher-level thinking.
• The general flow or syntax of a concept lesson consists of four major phases: present goals and establish set, provide examples and non-examples, test for concept attainment, and analyze student thinking processes.
• Concept teaching requires a moderately structured learning environment.

Theoretical and Empirical Support

• The theoretical and empirical support for concept teaching and learning is very extensive and covers a wide range of topics. Studies have shown how age and intellectual development influence readiness to learn concepts. Piaget's and Bruner's developmental theories are of particular importance to concept teaching and learning.
• A concept's critical attributes help define and distinguish it from other concepts. The various kinds of concepts include conjunctive concepts, disjunctive concepts, and relationship concepts. Students grasp general concepts mainly by being presented with specific examples and non-examples of the concept.
• Studies have also shown how examples and non-examples should be presented to maximize student learning and how teachers can use such specific practices as visual images and graphic organizers to support concept learning.

Planning and Conducting Concept Lessons

• Planning tasks for concept lessons include selecting concepts and choosing the most appropriate approach.
• There are several different approaches to teaching concepts. Two of the most prevalent are direct presentation and concept attainment. In direct presentation, the teacher labels and defines the concept early in the lesson and then presents the best examples and non-examples of a particular concept but does not define and label the concept until the end of the lesson.
• Concept analysis, selection of examples and non-examples, and decisions regarding the sequence in which to present the examples are also important tasks teachers must perform during planning for a concept lesson.
• A concept lesson begins with the teacher telling students what the aims for the lesson are and getting them motivated and ready to learn.
• The exact sequencing for defining and labeling a concept and presenting examples and non-examples varies according to the approach being used by the teacher. In direct presentation, the teacher presents the definition first, whereas in concept attainment, the teacher presents examples and non-examples first and students discover and define the concept using an inductive process.
• Through questioning and discussion, teachers help students analyze their thinking processes and integrate new learning with old as the final phase of a concept lesson, regardless of approach.

Managing the Learning Environment

• During the presentation and attainment phases of a concept lesson, the teacher maintains a structured learning environment. However, the final phases of a concept lesson encourages student interaction and require a more flexible, student-centered learning environment.

Assessment and Evaluation

• As with other instructional models, the major post-instructional task is for teachers to match their testing programs to the model's particular goals.
• When evaluating students' understanding of a concept, it is important to ask students to do more than merely define the concept. Students should also be asked to demonstrate their knowledge of the concepts critical attributes and its relationship to other concepts.

Mnemonic Devices: http://www.bucks.edu/~specpop/mnemonics.htm, http://members.aol.com/dwise1/trivia/mnemonics.html

IPM_finalcomments.pdf.

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