Conceptual instruction and intervention as methods of acquiring teaching skills

Abstract

The premise of conceptually based training is that teaching skills can be acquired through instruction or intervention directed at the acquisition or formation of concepts defining and delineating those skills. Past research shows that training based upon concepts results in gains in teaching skills. The evidence presented in the present paper shows that either instruction or intervention methods directed at conceptual change result in gains in complex teaching skills. Further evidence that level of concept acquisition and skill use are positively related is consistent with the hypothesis that concepts mediate skills. Direct and indirect implications for teacher education are drawn.