Inductive Model
Also known as guided discovery
 Teacher’s role is to provide examples that
illustrate the content and then guide
students’ efforts to find patterns in the
information
 Learners construct their own
understanding (with careful guidance and
questioning by teachers)
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Sample Lessons
Judy Nelson’s longitude and latitude
 Sue Grant’s behavior of gases
 Jim Rooney’s rules for punctuating
singular and plural possessive nouns
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An Overview
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Each topic was specific and well defined
Each teacher presented chosen examples and
then guided the students as they formed their
conclusions
Each teacher used a variety of teaching
strategies to guide students to the correct
conclusion(s)
The students used basic cognitive skills to
move from the examples to the conclusions
Characteristics of the Inductive
Model
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Highly sophisticated and demanding instruction
Teachers must be expert in questioning
Teachers must monitor behavior
Teachers must make on the spot decisions
about what questions to ask and which students
to call on
The students must be guided to analyze the
information
Theoretical Foundations
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Lessons using Inductive Model begin with
and are built around examples
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These examples become the experiences
that learner use to construct their
understanding of the topic
Theoretical Foundations
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Social interaction is used to analyze the
examples. Social interaction and teacher
guidance will help eliminate
misinterpretation of the examples
Theoretical Foundations
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The teacher guides the students. It is a
dual role:
(1) accepting and honoring the students’
“inventions” of knowledge (even when they
are wrong) while at the same time
 (2) guiding the students toward a more
mature understanding
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Concepts
Categories with common characteristics
 Mental categories, sets, or classes
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Latitude is a concept
 Rectangle is a concept
 Perspective in art is a concept
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The number of concepts in the school
curriculum is nearly endless
A Concept’s Characteristics
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A concept’s characteristics are its defining
features
Example: Rectangle
 Common Characteristics
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• Opposite sides equal in length
• Opposite sides parallel
• All interior angles are 90 degrees
Some Concepts are “Fuzzy”
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Example: Cars
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Best to present a “fuzzy” concept using either
prototypes or exemplars
Prototypes are the best representatives of its class
Exemplars are the most highly typical members of its
class.
USA: prototype of democracy
CAR: exemplars are Ford Taurus, Toyota Camry
Concept Analysis
It includes the following:
 Definition
 Characteristics
 Examples
 Superordinate concept (larger category)
 Subordinate concept (subsets of the concept)
 Coordinate concept (related subset of the
superordinate category)
Example: Adjective
Definition: part of speech, modifies a noun
 Characteristics: modifies a noun
 Examples: old car, exciting game, home
team
 Superordinate concept: parts of speech
 Subordinate concept: Predicate adj.
 Coordinate concept: Adverb
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The Keys to Making Concepts
Understandable
A clear definition
 Carefully selected examples
 Carefully selected nonexamples
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Relationships among Concepts
Principals: relationships among concepts
accepted as valid for all known cases
 Principles are also known as laws
 Example: All like magnetic poles repel,
unlike magnetic poles attract
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Relationships among Concepts
Generalizations: general patterns with
known exceptions
 Example: a daily dose of aspirin reduces
the danger of a heart attack
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This is generally accepted as good medical
practice, but there are exceptions for certain
medical conditions
Relationships among Concepts
Academic rules: relationships between
concepts arbitrarily derived by people
 Example: Rounding
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The rule is: Round up a number if the last
digit is 5 or higher
 We could have set the last digit at 6 or
higher, we have arbitrarily set it at 5 or higher
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Planning Lessons with the
Inductive Model
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Identify topic
Specify learning objective(s)
Identify examples and nonexamples
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Use quality examples
Use a variety of examples
Use real world examples
Use concrete materials
Use pictures
Use models
Use vignettes (case studies)
Use technology and computer software
Implementing Lessons Using
the Inductive Model
Phase 1: Introduction
 The focus of the lesson is established
 The teacher attracts students’ attention
 The teacher activates curiosity and
motivates students
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Poses a problem to solve
 Reviews previous material on subject
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Implementing Cont.
Phase 2: The open-ended phase
 Students make observations and
comparisons that are used for further
analysis
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With examples and nonexamples
Teacher promotes involvement by asking
open-ended questions
 Teacher ensures success
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Implementing Cont.
Phase 3: The convergent phase
 Teacher narrows the range of student
responses and assists them in identifying
the essential characteristics of a concept,
or guides students to a generalization,
principle, or academic rule
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Implementing Cont.
Phase 4: Closure
 Students summarize or state correct
conclusions
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Implementing Cont.
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Phase 5: Application
To insure transfer, students must be able to
apply their knowledge outside the classroom
Teachers provide opportunities for students to
relate the topic to the real world
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Independent seatwork
Homework
Teachers link new knowledge to previously learned
knowledge
Characteristics of Inductive
Model
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Emphasizes critical, higher-order thinking
Increases student motivation
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Learner involvement and success
Evokes curiosity and challenges students to find an
“unknown”
Examples provide background information to
accommodate individual differences
Creative model peaks student interest
Assessing Student Learning
Assessment must match teacher
objectives
 You can use:
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Traditional paper and pencil assessments
 Assessments that capitalize on real world
contexts
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