Module 4 EDU6526
The idea of Concept Attainment was definitely new to me when I began this module. However, I believe that it is a strong method of applying Identifying Similarities and Differences and I hope to use it soon. I could easily use this model in a music classroom and the students should be engaged because of the higher level thinking skills involved. One example of how I could use it would be to teach four beat rhythm patterns. On the list of exemplars, I would have several examples of rhythms which are exactly four beats. For the list of non-exemplars, I would include rhythms which are not exactly four beats. I could easily adapt this lesson for students of different ages by modifying the complexity of the rhythms which I am using. If I had a position with access to a Smart Board, I would create a flip chart for each grade level based on the district grade level concepts for music rhythms. I would create cover ups for the exemplars and non-exemplars then uncover them as the students generate and test their hypotheses.
In my example above, I show that in order for there to be a positive answer to a four beat rhythm, there must be multiple negative rhythms. Students should be given the chance to notice that just as Bruner(1966) states, “a concept requires for its definition a choice of a negative case”. If I only explain to the students what are correct rhythms, they will never understand at a deeper level what is making those rhythms correct.
