Threshold concepts are significant in teaching and learning for several reasons:
Transformative Understanding
- Threshold concepts have the power to transform learners’ understanding of a subject. Once grasped, they reorganize learners’ mental frameworks and fundamentally change the way they perceive and engage with the discipline. This transformative shift in perspective can lead to deeper, more meaningful learning experiences.
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Foundational Knowledge
- Threshold concepts represent foundational knowledge within a discipline. They are key ideas or principles that are central to understanding and practicing in that field. By identifying and mastering threshold concepts, learners develop a solid foundation upon which they can build more advanced knowledge and skills.
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Integration and Synthesis
- Threshold concepts encourage learners to integrate and synthesize disparate pieces of information within a discipline. They provide a unifying framework that helps learners connect different concepts, theories, and methods, facilitating a more coherent and holistic understanding of the subject matter.
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Problem Solving and Transfer
- Understanding threshold concepts enhances learners’ problem-solving skills and ability to transfer their knowledge to new contexts. By internalizing fundamental principles, learners can apply them to analyze complex problems, make connections across domains, and adapt their knowledge to new situations.
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Critical Thinking and Reflection
- Threshold concepts promote critical thinking and reflection by challenging learners to question assumptions, consider alternative perspectives, and evaluate evidence within a discipline. They encourage learners to think deeply about the underlying principles and assumptions that shape their understanding of the subject matter.
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Metacognitive Awareness
- Engaging with threshold concepts fosters metacognitive awareness—the ability to reflect on one’s own thinking and learning process. By grappling with challenging concepts, learners develop a deeper understanding of their own learning strengths and weaknesses, as well as strategies for overcoming obstacles and improving their learning outcomes.
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Professional Development
- For educators, understanding threshold concepts is essential for effective teaching and curriculum design. By identifying threshold concepts within their discipline, educators can design instructional materials and activities that target these key ideas, facilitating deeper learning and conceptual understanding among their students.
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Threshold concepts play a crucial role in teaching and learning by promoting transformative understanding, integrating knowledge, enhancing problem-solving skills, fostering critical thinking, and supporting metacognitive awareness. By recognizing and engaging with threshold concepts, learners develop a deeper and more nuanced understanding of their discipline, leading to more meaningful and enduring learning outcomes.
VIDEO: Breaking Through Threshold Concepts as Key to Understanding
LINK TO VIDEO (19:11 minutes): In this video Dr. Robert Coven shares insights on breaking through threshold concepts as keys to understanding. Dr. Coven has been teaching for over 30 years and holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
READING: Integrating Threshold Concepts into the Curriculum
LINK TO READING: From the Office of Teaching and Learning at the University of Guelph. The Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) is the leader in championing the University of Guelph’s pedagogical mission. The Office provides expertise in, and passionately advocates for, innovative and evidence-informed pedagogical approaches.
