Creating a Classroom Culture Based on Thinking: The power of concept based curriculum and instruction

What is Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction?

Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction (CBCI) is an approach to teaching that focuses on deep, conceptual understanding rather than superficial understanding. The power of CBCI comes from the emphasis on interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary connections within the curriculum. Concept-based curriculum and instruction harnesses the power of deep understanding by focusing on concepts and processes rather than rote memorization of facts. Concepts and processes transcend individual subjects, and transfer to different disciplines, which promotes critical thinking.

At the heart of CBCI is the idea that students should engage with “big ideas” that promote deeper connections. For instance, rather than just memorizing specific facts such as the Krebs cycle, students would learn about the Krebs cycle through a conceptual lens such as systems, or energy to promote more deeper understanding by connecting to other ideas.

CBCI promotes active learning through inquiry, encouraging students to ask questions, investigate, and discover knowledge collaboratively. This approach not only enhances retention but also equips students with the skills necessary to think critically and solve complex problems. When students understand why they are learning what they are learning they become more motivated, and that motivation leads to continued learning down the road.

CBCI empowers educators to create dynamic, engaging learning environments that inspire curiosity and lifelong learning. By shifting the focus from memorization to understanding, CBCI helps students become not just learners but thinkers who can adapt and thrive in today’s society. This approach is not only effective for individual learning but also fosters a collaborative classroom where thinking is not just something we do, but is apart of the culture.

To learn more about Concept Based Curriculum and Instruction check out this blog from Atlas written by Anna Murphy:

A Quick Guide to Concept-Based Learning and Curriculum

Major Concept in Biology: Energy

Understanding energy in Biology is a major part of the curriculum, don’t believe me? Check out this video:

In the high school Biology curriculum energy shows up in two major ways, as mentioned in the video above: Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration. These topics arise during the Cells unit in my course and I intend to use the macroconcept of energy to anchor our learning about these important topics.

Potential Challenges of Developing a Unit Plan on Energy

There is no short cut when creating a unit plan based on CBCI, some of the challenges I believe I might encounter are:

Abstraction

• Energy is not something you can hold in your hand. We have lots of surrogates for energy (ATP, batteries, glucose), but at its core it is a fundamental principle of life. That abstraction may be challenging to get students see that energy comes in many forms but all relate back to that important principle.

Integration Across Disciplines

• CBCI emphasizes making connections across subjects, but this can be challenging in a biology unit focused on energy, because energy means many different things in different disciplines. For example, in social studies, energy might be discussed in terms of commerce or the collective actions of a group of people. In an English class, energy might be discussed as a writing style. To find ways to make cross curricular connections might prove difficult.

Identifying Key Facts

• Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration are inundated with facts and figures to memorize. In our adopted curriculum there are countless different molecules and mechanisms that are highlighted in the textbook and learning materials. CBCI challenges us to push back against the endless list of topics to cover. My job would be to determine which topics can be omitted from the prescribed curriculum in order to really focus on those that are necessary to the students conceptual understanding.

Making Connections to the TCE Threshold Concepts

Curriculum is co-constructed

• Students are not just receptacles for learning, they are active participants in their learning. Traditional teaching models don’t leave space for exploration in the curriculum, there are set objectives that have to be met within a time frame that’s often to small. CBCI asks us to reduce the number of objectives in a given lesson to make space and time for going deeper into the concepts that are outlined for that unit. For more on co-constructing curriculum check out this video from Rob Simon

Teaching and Learning Honors People’s Full Humanity

• Our students come into the classroom with a variety of identities that influence the way they engage with the course content. The role of the educator is to connect the curriculum to the lived experiences of the students in front of them. The concepts and processes that are at the heart of CBCI are timeless and universal, every culture, and way of life has some connection to these big ideas like change, systems, cause and effect. To honor the humanity of our students we must first recognize that our own identities have to be interrogated to understand how we approach the curriculum. Our students deserve to have the highest quality instruction we can provide, which means that instruction must have the appropriate materials to meet the lives of those students.
• Honoring my students full humanity can be a daunting task. With so many students, and a variety of backgrounds, there is no one size fits all solution. If like me you want help with this important aspect of teaching, check out this blog from Latinos for Education which provides some classroom norms that you could incorporate such as: holding space to acknowledge and affirm student identities, invite curiosity and inquiry, and individual follow ups.

Regrounding the Classroom: Planting Seeds that Honor the Histories and Humanity of the Students We Serve

Check out my first blog post on #CBCI and follow along with my journey in curriculum and instruction #TCE623 #exemplaryteaching. @NSTA @NBPTS

— Mr. Turner (@MrTurne82324326) September 28, 2024