SMART TEACHING
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40. Concept Models
©2007 Ron Fitzgerald, D. Ed.

Topic #39 provided an example of the power of using concept models to guide a school or district on the path to quality.  Concept models are statements that predict cause and effect relationships.  The ones most useful for schools fit in the mold of by-doing-X-you-increase-the-likelihood-of-positive-result-Y.  Clearly such statements should be based on research or evidence to the degree possible.  As described in Topic #39, the power of these models comes from everyone in a school using them as guides in building an environment focused on pursing quality (continuous improvement in learning and other school goals).

To help you consider the use of concept models, here are some of the ones that were used successfully in supporting measured continuous improvement in one high school:

  1. Use of researched brain-friendly teaching/learning techniques improves learning.
  2. Continuous improvement is facilitated by everyone in a school using a quality management process.
  3. The most important basic skill area is reading, and different students often need some different kinds of help to achieve their potential in this area. Comment:  Many of these concepts are related.  Here for example, you need to watch out for the there-is-one-best-way-to-teach-reading extremists who ignore the different learning styles that should be properly addressed under concept #1.
  4. A large number of students are experiential learners, those who learn academic skills best from using the skills in real-life or career related problem solving or production. Comment:  This model helps to explain why strong vocational-technical high school programs with integrated academic-technical curricula are the best paths to college for many talented youngsters.  Access to such learning options should not be delayed beyond grade 9.
  5. Each course should focus on a list of skills important to career success like that from SCANS (Use Google to learn more.) so that attention is paid to developing critical thinking capabilities, the ability to use technology, and other career powers at every level. Comment:  Knowing when and how to use computer programs is now truly a basic skill important to personal as well as career interests.
  6. In high school vocational-technical programs, students should explore different career categories and be given help in matching their individual talents and interests to requirements of these different categories before they select a “major.” Comment:  Useful categories related to different talents could be technical or science-oriented areas, people-focused or service areas, and construction or trade types of areas.
  7. Promoting artistic and literary expression and promoting creativity are important enrichments to the lives of students.
  8. Teaching values like integrity, respect, and good-doing is a fundamental responsibility in promoting good citizenship.
  9. Teaching them the value of the skills of emotional intelligence is an important way to help students interact positively with others.
  10. Students learn responsible behavior skills best when those skills are defined, expected, and rewarded.
  11. Formative assessment of learning is much more useful and powerful than high stakes testing in facilitating high student achievement. Comment: Unfortunately, this and many other powerful concept models like #4 have been neglected until now in national reform efforts.  There has been an over-emphasis on egg-candling types of testing and an absolute test score rather than on individual growth and different talents.  Hopefully this dropout-generating mistake will be corrected in future education reform efforts.  Educators can encourage this correction by focusing on the profound knowledge management principles, which W. Edwards Deming showed are the better path to continuous improvement in every endeavor.
  12. Constant change makes lifelong learning so valuable that community schools should serve adults as well as K-12 students.  Comment:  Examples are growing in this area - - giving senior citizens access to daytime computer literacy training, providing more and more evening service to adults, allowing adults to enroll in daytime vocational-technical programs, etc.  All such examples give citizens a better return on their investment in school facilities.

Each school should develop its own concept model list.  No such list should be considered complete or static in a school.  Educators pursuing a quality path must stay focused on constantly reviewing new research and finding “benchmarking” opportunities.  The latter opportunities involve visiting and/or learning about successful programs and the models that were used to achieve high results or benchmarks.  Then, new or revised concept models can be introduced, adapted, and used locally.  This process is fundamental for a school staff involved in continuous improvement.