The document discusses conceptual knowledge and different ways of understanding concepts. It defines conceptual knowledge as more complex, organized knowledge that shows interrelationships among basic elements. There are three types of conceptual knowledge: classifications and categories, principles and generalizations, and theories, models and structures. The document also describes seven ways to understand concepts: interpreting, exemplifying, classifying, inferring, comparing, summarizing, and explaining. It provides examples of objectives and assessments for each of the seven ways of understanding concepts.

1. Understanding Concepts
Dr.N.Asokan M.Sc., M.E., Ph.D
+91 9445191369
ntvasokan@gmail.com

2. Conceptual Knowledge
• The interrelationships among the basic elements
within a larger structure that enable them to
function together.
• More complex, organized knowledge form.
• Disciplinary Knowledge – the way the experts in
the discipline THINK about a phenomena
• (Solar System, Computer System)
• WHY?

3. Why the seasons occur
• Earth
• Sun
• Rotation
• Revolution
• These are not simple isolated facts about
Earth & Sun, rather ideas about the
relationships between them and how they are
linked to the seasonal changes

4. Conceptual Knowledge –
A. Classification and Categories
• Connectivity between and among specific
elements.
• Classic sign of learning and development.
• Reflect a conceptual change.

5. Example s
• Types of materials – Magnetic
(Dia, Para, Ferro), Semi conducting, Construction.
• Parts of sentences (nouns, verbs, adjectives).
• Telecommunication Systems
(GSM, GPRS, DECT, UMTS)

6. Examples – Knowledge of
• The variety of types of literature
• The various forms of business ownership
• Different kinds of psychological problems
• The different periods of geologic time
• Different kinds of Gender issues
• The various cross-cutting areas of governance

7. Conceptual Knowledge –
B. Principles and Generalizations
• Used to study phenomena or solve problems
in the discipline.
• Bring together larger number of specific facts
and events
• Describe the processes and interrelationships
among Classification and Categories.

8. ExamplesFundamental laws of thermodynamics
Law of supply and demand
Bernoulli's theorem
Faraday's law
Coulomb’s law
Principles of Chemistry that are relevant to life processes and health
Major principles involved in learning

9. Knowledge of
• Major generalization about particular culture
• Fundamental laws of marketing
• Major principles involved in learning
• Principles of federalism
• Implications of American foreign trade policy for
the international economy

10. Conceptual Knowledge –
C. Theories, models and structures.
• Interrelationships
among Principles
and Generalizations.
• Examples:
Organization structure (Chairman,
Director, Principal, Registrar, HoD,
Prof, Asst.Prof, Lecturer).
Formulation of Theory of evolution
Genetic models (e.g., DNA)
8085, 8086 Microprocessor
Architecture.
8051 Microcontroller Architecture.
Theory of Computation.

11. Knowledge of
• Overall structure of multilateral organizations
• Basic structural organization of the local city
govt.
• Complete formulation of theory of evolution
• Genetic models (DNA)

12. 7 WAYS OF UNDERSTANDING
CONCEPTS
1. Interpreting
2. Exemplifying
3. Classifying
4. Inferring
5. Comparing
6.Summarizing
7.Explaining

13. Understand -1. Interpreting
• Change from one form of representation to
another.
• Words to words, words to picture, numbers to
words, musical notes to tones
• Translating, paraphrasing, representing,
clarifying.

14. • To paraphrase important speeches and
documents from the civil war period in U.S.
history

15. Objective and Assessment
• To draw a graph between Voltage and current.
• Draw a graph between Voltage and current.
• To Draw block diagrams representations of systems.
• Draw block diagrams representations of systems.
• To translate number sentences expressed in words into
algebraic equations expressed in symbols.
• Write an equation (using B for boys and G for girls) that
corresponds to the statement “ There are twice as
many boys as girls in this class.

16. • To draw pictorial representation of various
natural phenomena
(Water Cycle, Sea breeze, Land breeze).
• Constructed response – Supply an answer
• Choose an answer – Multiple choice

17. Understand -2. Exemplifying
• Finding a specific example of a
concept or principle.
• Identifying the defining features of
the general concept or principle.
• Illustrating

18. Objective and Assessment
• To be able to give examples of
various kinds of chemical
compounds.
• Locate five inorganic compound on a
field trip and tell why its is inorganic?

19. Assessment Format
• Constructed Response – Students must create
an example
• Locate an inoragnic compound
• Selected Response – Student must select an
example from s given set

20. Understand -3. Classifying
• Determine that something (a particular
instance or example) belongs to a category
(Concept or Principle)
• Detecting relevant features or patterns that
“fit” both the specific instant and the concept
or principle
• Complementary process to Exemplifying
• Categorizing

21. Exemplifying
• It begins with a
general concept or
principle and
requires the student
to find a specific
instance or example
Classifying
• It begins with a
specific instance or
example and
requires the student
to find a general
concept or principle.

22. To classify observed or described cases of
mental disorders
To categorize the species of various prehistoric
animals

23. Objective and Assessment
• To determine the categories to which numbers
belong.
• Circle all prime numbers for the following list.
• To classify the electrical machines.
• Classify the following electrical machines into
A.C and D.C machines.

24. Understand - 4. Summarizing
• Abstracting a general theme or major points.
• A single statement that represents presented
information or abstracts of a general theme.
• When given information, a student provides a
summary or abstracts a general theme
• Generalizing

25. Objective and Assessment
• To summarize the purposes of various
subroutines in a programme.
• Write a sentence describing the sub goal that
each section of the program accomplishes
within the overall program.
• To summarize the major contributions of
famous social workers
• To summarize the best practices

26. Understand - 5. Inferring
• Drawing a logical conclusion from presented
information.
• Involves finding a pattern within a series of
examples.
• Extrapolating, Interpolating, Predicting,
Concluding

27. Objective and Assessment
• To infer the pattern in the series of numbers.
• What number will come next in the series
1,2,3,5,8,13,21,… (completion task)
• To infer the analogy of the form. (Analogy task)
• Nation is to President, State is to ________.
• AND,OR,NOT and XOR (Oddity task)

28. Understand - 6. Comparing
• Detecting correspondence (similarities & differences)
between two ideas, objects, events, problems.
• Includes finding one-to-one correspondence between
elements and patterns in one object, event or idea.
• Determine how a well known event is like a less
familiar event
• Contrasting, Matching, Mapping

29. Objective and Assessment
• To compare an electrical circuit with a water
flow system.
• Compare battery, wire and resistor in an
electrical circuit with pump, pipes and pipe
construction in a water flow system.
• Compare TRIAC and DIAC.
• Compare Intel80386 and Intel80486

30. Mapping
A student must show how each part
of one object, idea, problem or
situation corresponds to (or maps
into) each part of another.

31. Understand - 7. Explaining
• Constructing a cause – and – effect model of a
system.
• Determine how a change in one part of the
system or one “link” in the chain affects a
change in another part.
• Reasoning, Trouble shooting, Redesigning,
Predicting.

32. Objective and Assessment
• To explain Ohm’s law.
• Explain what happens to the rate of the
current when a second battery is added to a
circuit.
• Explain masking and etching process in IC
fabrication.
• Explain 565 phase lock loop circuit
functioning.

33. Reasoning: A student is asked to offer a
reason for a given event.
Why does air enter a bicycle tire pump
when you pull up on the handle?
Answer, it is forced in because the air
pressure is less inside the pump than
outside, involves finding a principle that
accounts for a given event.

34. Troubleshooting: A student is asked to
diagnose what could have gone wrong in a
malfunctioning system.
Suppose you pull up and press down on the
handle of a bicycle tire pump several times
but no air comes out. What’s wrong?
Student must find an explanation for a
symptom. “There is a hole in the cylinder” or
“A valve is stuck in the open position”

35. Redesigning: A student is asked to change
the system to accomplish some goal
How could you improve a bicycle tire pump
so that it would be more efficient?
Student must imagine altering one or more
of the components in the system.
“Apply lubricant between the piston and the
cylinder”

36. Predicting: A student is asked to change in one
part of a system will effect a change in another
part of a system.
What would happen if you increased the diameter
of the cylinder in a bicycle tire pump?
Student “operate” the mental model of the pump
to see that the amount of air moving through the
pump could be increased by increasing the
diameter of the cylinder.

37. Thank you