Each discipline has a set of concepts that are notoriously troublesome for student to learn, not for lack of trying, but for the fundamental shift in perspective that they both enable and require. Threshold concepts have been described as “portals” or “conceptual gateways” that “open up previously inaccessible ways of thinking” (Meyer and Land, 2003).
As specialists who are already well-versed in their own fields, instructors are already through the gateway. How do we know when we’re dealing with a threshold concept in our own disciplines? What can we do to help students through the gateway?
On Oct. 30, bring your lunch and join us for the third session in our Welcome to My Classroom series to learn about threshold concepts, troublesome knowledge, and their implications for course design.
The session runs from 12-1:30 p.m. in room 422 Dunton Tower.