#5. All Teachers demonstrate mastery in teaching "Conceptually"  

Brain-based Research for Best Instructional Practices says:

(1) Concrete: Tie concept to learner's past experience -- to self --to learner's own skin.

(2) Significance, Relationship, and Integration: Integrate concept across curriculum -- show significance in more than one domain of learning. The ability to draw from one domain (content area) knowledge which helps to solve a problem in another domain. This is true problem solving ability.

(3) Emotion: Interaction with concept should evoke a "response" or emotional interaction (see * below)

(4) Cognitive Modeling: The ability to create a mental picture, manipulate the picture in such a way that you can see other possibilities beyond what has been taught. This is true synthesis.

(5) Reflection: Allowing students to make mental connections between domains, experiences, and predictions. This is true constructivism.

Definition: "Concept" is a term that has meaning across the curriculum. (Hint: Go to the TEKS. Select your subject area. Use the "Find" menu to locate the word "pattern".)

Examples:

3rd Grade Math Objective (7)  Patterns, relationships, and algebraic thinking. The student uses lists, tables, and charts to express patterns and relationships.

2nd Grade Science Objective (5)  Science concepts. The student knows that organisms, objects, and events have properties and patterns.

2nd Grade Social Studies Objective (7)  Geography. The student understands how physical characteristics of places and regions affect people's activities and settlement patterns.

Kindergarten LA Objective (10)  Reading/literary response. The student responds (*) to various texts. The student is expected to:

    (B)  participate actively (react (*), speculate, join in, read along) when predictable and patterned selections are read aloud (K-1);

View Video: http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/framewk/efp/environ/manip.htm