From an earlier post about Erickson’s Concept-Based Curriculum by By Anna Murphy, Rubicon International
https://www.rubicon.com/concept-based-learning-curriculum/
“Concept-based curriculum (CBC) is an approach to curriculum design that moves away from subject-specific content and instead emphasizes “big ideas” that span multiple subject areas or disciplines. For example, in a CBC classroom, students may study the big idea of “change” in a variety of areas, from patterns in mathematics, to civilizations in social studies, to life cycles in science.”…
” “Conceptual thinking requires the ability to critically examine factual information; relate to prior knowledge; see patterns and connections; draw out significant understandings at the conceptual level; evaluate the truth of the understandings across time or situations; and, often, use the conceptual understanding to creatively solve a problem or create a new product, process, or idea.”……. , CBC is a 3-dimensional approach that melds what students will KNOW, DO, and UNDERSTAND.”…
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In a more recent text in 2014, H. Lynn Erickson collaborated with Lois A. Lanning: Transitioning to Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction: How to Bring Content and Process Together.
In the Foreword by Malcolm Nicolson, Head of Diploma Programme Development International Baccalaurate, He says:
…..”They have helped me to see how we can help students to “get it” to be engaged in their learning and to understand how to transfer and apply their knowledge, understanding and skills in meeting complex global challenges.”…
“Erickson and Lanning write: “The purpose of this book is to present the case for needed changes in the traditional model of curriculum and instruction—a content coverage model that has critical flaws:….”
“The Introduction: Chapter Overview. Chapter 2 contrasts the traditional two-dimensional curriculum mode….with the three dimensional, concept-based model, which focuses on deeper-conceptual understanding supported by related facts and skills. This chapter also brings together Erickson’s Structure of Knowledge with Lois Lanning’s Structure of Process, so that educators now have the complementary models for both content-driven and process-driven subjects.” (Bold print mine)
Chapter 2, pages 24-27 describes the Structure of Process in more detail. The authors describe the interplay of process and knowledge, saying:
“Knowledge by itself is quite inert and of little use until it is put into action through a process that includes strategies and skills. And processes like reading, writing, thinking, analyzing, producing or creating cannot operate meaningfully without content.”
Here are 2 examples:
1…”if I am working on the topic of “Climate Change,” I may choose to apply any of the following processes, strategies or skills when learning about the topic.”
^Analyze scientific data using multiple sources of text including verbal, visual, and electronic.
^Create mathematical models to represent statistical data.
^Develop economic predictions based on the analysis of statistical data.
^Write a position paper for a specific audience that addresses a problem and supports a position with personal argument.” (page 26)
2…”Traditionally mathematics has been viewed as a distinct set of procedures to be memorized and carried out. However, most ideas in mathematics that can be solved procedurally, also lend themselves to exploration, reasoning and pattern seeking. In fact, the US. Common Core Sate Standards for Mathematics highlight the importance of connecting content standard with the Standards for Mathematically Practice (CCSS Initiative, 2010b, which includes:
1 Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3 Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
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7 Look for and make use of structure.
8 Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning. (page 27)
