Concept Based Learning and the Importance of Picture Books.

Post category:Book Lists

Picture books are a wonderful way to engage learners in the classroom, one of the main parts of concept based learning. They allow students to think deeply about big ideas and for our multilingual learners they are especially helpful at bridging language, developing vocabulary and supporting academic standards. An engaged student is a student who wants to learn.

wonderful way to engage learners in the classroom

Concept based learning is an instructional approach that focuses on teaching students about essential ideas rather than just memorizing facts. It promotes higher-order thinking skills such as analysis, evaluation and making connections. Concept based learning encourages students to understand how concepts relate to each other and how they can apply them in real life situations. This is essential for multilingual learners because they often face language barriers that hinder their academic progress. Concept based learning is particularly useful for multilingual students because it provides them with a framework for understanding the material across multiple languages. By using picture books to engage multilingual students in concept based learning we are providing them with visual aids, contextualisation, vocabulary and importantly a diverse perspective.

So how can a library support the concepts being taught in the classroom through the use of picture books? The first stop would be learning how to ask essential questions. Essential questions are used to stimulate students’ discussion and promote a deeper understanding of the content. Essential Questions: Opening Doors to Student Understanding by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggens is a great first step for understanding the importance of essential questions and learning how to create your own essential questions that aid in getting students to think deeply about different concepts.

Once you feel comfortable with formulating essential questions, you can start to look at the enduring understandings, what are the takeaways you want the children to know about the unit. And which picture books can assist in this outcome. Displayed is a 4th grade unit on the concept of Community with a focus on water and importance it has to a Community. The essential questions were created to allow the students to think about Community and to build on their understanding of the communities around them and their own roles in their communities.

Community