Instructional Model

Tabas Concept
Development

Description
(Students group, label, regroup

-Explore open ended

and synthesize)

questions
-Higher level thinking

1. Identify/Listing

-Inquiry

What do you know about?

-Students manipulate

2. Grouping

details into abstract

Do any go together? Why?

categories

3. Categorizing
How would you name/label groups?

4. Identify relationships
5. Explore relationships
6. Make inferences
skills+facts=abstract
generalizations through
questioning strategies

Visual Thinking
Strategies (VTS)

Benefits

Limitations
-Needs background knowledge
-Teachers questioning ability
-Students need some
background knowledge

-open-ended
-Students have higher
levels of thinking using a
small quantity of quality
information -Students
look for patterns and form
categories and develop big
idea.

Teacher led discussion using a

-thinking
-teaches thinking skills

-Artwork for lesson

piece of art. Students share

-Safe environment to

-Teacher remains a facilitator

what they observe in the art.

share thoughts for

by asking guiding questions.

Teacher restates/paraphrases

students who may not

-Teachers limited to input of

students response and asks

normally talk

their ideas

questions.

-We have different

-What do you see in the picture?

perspectives.

-What makes you say that?

-Students can think

outside the box.
-Builds a mind open to
many possibilities.
-Helps them be better
writers.
-Risk free!

Questioning

Questioning progresses from

-Student-centered,

-Quality of questions

basic knowledge level to

inquiry

-Time planning questions

synthesizing and evaluating level.

-Community of learners

-Students need time to answer

Blooms Taxonomy

-Questioning, thinking,

higher level questions

Costas Levels of Questioning

understanding
-Students can
demonstrate
understanding at various
levels
-Implemented in all
subject areas

Service Learning

1. Preparations

-Higher level thinking

-provide authentic

-Service component takes over

Research common need, analyze what can

experiences

and curriculum piece is lost

-fosters effective

-Resources

teamwork and

-Take time for reflection!

be done, align need to curriculum, plan

outcomes

2. Action
Investigate, research, organize, design a

collaboration skills

plan

-increases self-esteem

3. Evaluation

-changes attitude toward

Development of skills, knowledge, effects

helping others

of service

4. Celebration
Award ceremony, newspaper, local media,
etc.

Simulation

Teacher is the facilitator as

-Experiences are real!

-Cannot fully replicate real

students conduct their own

-Interactive

experiences

learning through an instructional

-Collaborative context

-Risk omitting something vital

scenario students role play.

with deeper learning

-Resources

-Enhances learning and

-Preparation time for

problem solving

lesson/materials

-Multiple chances to
practice
-Critical thinking skills
-Engaging and motivating
-Students

-Integrate several

Bruner

Problem Based
Learning

Know things are connected

subjects
-Learner pulls from past

-Teachers may not see

Inquiry based instruction

experiences and existing

misconceptions and problems

1. Enactive stage: learn

through actions
2. Iconic stage: learner uses
pictures or models
3. Symbolic stage: think in
abstract terms

knowledge to discover

-Cognitive overload

facts and relationships

-Teacher must revisit material

-Encourages active

to enhance knowledge

engagement

-Materials must be presented in

-Promotes motivation

sequence to allow learners to

independence,

acquire knowledge and transfer

Students learn about subject

responsibility
-Students experience high

learning.
-Time consuming

through the experience of

level thinking

-Self-directing themselves

creating a solution to a problem.

-Inspired to obtain deeper

during learning

Teacher facilitates as students

knowledge

solve a problem.

-Highly engaging
-Work collaboratively
-Many solutions to a
problem
-Practice listening to

Socratic Seminar

-Inquiry and discussion between

multiple view points

-Ask and answer questions

-Are all students participating?

individuals

to stimulate critical

-What happens when no one is

Students read make notes while

thinking

talking?

reading a text. Teacher poses a

-Students can speak in

-Highly disciplined process

question and the students use

small groups who normally

-Keeping discussion focused

the text drive their discussion.

dont speak in a whole

-Students who dominate

class discussion

discussions may have trouble

Examples:

-Give students questions

not participating and just

-Inner/Outer Circle

not answers

listening.

-Triad (pilot and two copilots)

-Open-ended, higher order

-Simultaneous Seminars (multiple

thinking

small groups exploring different

-Students can share in

Kohlbergs Moral
Dilemmas

texts)

discussion topics they are

Development of students moral

an expert at.
-Tell people stories

-Dilemmas are artificial,

dilemmas

involving moral dilemmas.

unfamiliar to people, and/or

Pre-conventional Morality

-Discover how moral

hypothetical.

1. Punishment, avoidance, and

reasoning changes as one

-Facilitate discussion without

obedience

grows.

adding ones moral values on the

2. Exchange of favors

-Student practice

students.

Conventional Morality

justifying and reasoning

-Girls ethics of care vs boys

3. Good interpersonal

skills.

ethics of justice.

relationships

-Students practice higher

-Assessing students progress

4. Maintaining social order

level thinking.

can be difficult.

Post-conventional Morality

-Students benefit from

5.Social contract

discussion format.

6.Universal ethical principle

*Tell moral dilemma story and ask
questions to discover how
students moral reasoning is
developing.
6 Steps of Moral Discussion
1. Present the dilemma.
2. Students clarify the facts of
the situation and identify the
issues involved.
3. Students identify an action
the character should take and a
few reasons for actions.
4. Small group discussion.
5. Reconvene the class for a full
class discussion of the dilemma.
6. Ask students to reevaluate
their original positions
individually.

Resources
Gallagher, S. (2012). Concept Development: A Hilda Taba Strategy (pp. 1 -15). Unionville, NY: Royal Fireworks Press.

Gilligan, C. (1977). In a different voice: Women's conceptions of self and of morality. Harvard Educational Review, 47(4), 481-517.
Chapter 12 (pp 409 423) in Maker, J. & Schiever, S. (2005). Teaching Models in Education of the Gifted. Austin: ProED
Stepien, W. & Gallagher, S. A. (1993, April). Problem-Based Learning: As Authentic as it Gets. Educational Leadership (pp. 25-28).
Terry, A. W. & Bohenberger, J. E. (2003). Service learning: Fostering a cycle of caring in our gifted youth. The Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 15 (1), 23-32.