Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge

Ten sets of strategies for successful teaching

Strategy set 1: Start from where the students are
Because threshold concepts are difficult to teach, it is crucial that you start from the right place with your learners. Therefore:

• establish what your learners already know and can do,
• make sure that any pre-requisite knowledge is in place (Gibbs's 'well-structured knowledge base').
• give learners some activities/tasks/tests to check this,
• don't take their prior knowledge for granted (even if learners think they know something, it frequently turns out that their grasp is very uncertain).

Strategy set 2: Do not expect 'first time' understanding
Because the concept will be difficult for learners to grasp, it is unlikely that it will be learned first time, or after only one iteration. Therefore:

• break the concept down into small parts,
• build up gradually to the whole picture,
• keep checking for learner understanding.
• use a recursive strategy, not a linear one;
• keep revisiting the concept over time,
• give many opportunities for it to be rehearsed and re-rehearsed by the learners.

Strategy set 3: One size will not fit all
Because every learner has their own unique configuration of language and understanding (their 'idiolect'), it is unlikely that one set of linguistic bridges or analogies will make contact with the language and understanding of your learners. Therefore:

• make as many links as possible between 'everyday' language and the new, specialised (use of) language.
• use analogies, metaphors, everyday examples-as many as you can.
• do not be afraid of repetition-what works for one learner will not work for another.
• do not be afraid of simple - even simplistic-connections. If a learner can make an initial connection with the concept, a link has been created that can be refined and corrected through further learning activities.

Strategy set 4: A picture says a thousand words
Because a threshold concept connects aspects of the subject (and perhaps the world) in a new way, it involves a re-drawing of the learner's mental map. It will be helpful for learners to see this new picture building up, as it will emphasise the interrelatedness of the concept and its guiding principles. Therefore:

• depict the concept with a visual map as it is being built up in a lesson.
• ask students to copy this map
• use the map as a reference point in your teaching.
• if a later threshold concept supersedes an earlier one, return to the earlier map and with the learners, trace how the new threshold concept subsumes the previous one.

Strategy set 5: Because you are an expert you can model the concept Because teaching a threshold concept is showing the workings of (some part of) the discipline, it involves sequences of thought and action. Therefore: describe these sequences to learners as you do them, carefully show why each step is taken, and others not taken ('I do this, then I do this, then I could do this, but I don't, because.., then my next step is.', etc). These sequences of 'intellectual behaviour' show learners the connectedness of the concept; and given them something to imitate-this can be a useful bridge for them as they try to gain their own understanding (practise the behaviour and understanding may follow).

Strategy set 6: But experts are not always the best teachers Because, as a teacher and expert, you are in a different linguistic and conceptual world from your learners, the 'irreversibility' element of threshold concepts means that it may be impossible for you to wheel back your language to the 'primitive' language and world-view of the novice. Therefore: Set students to work in small groups with tasks that involve them in making their own links between the familiar and the unfamiliar-often learners can be more help to each other because they are all living in the same conceptual and linguistic world as far as the subject is concerned; they are experiencing the same difficulties and should be encouraged to work together to mutually solve them.

Strategy set 7: Trust the learners Because threshold concepts need to be 'deep learned' and internalised by learners. Therefore:

• use all the above strategies to gradually hand over responsibility to the learners.
• if you made conceptual maps, start to ask learners to construct them;
• if you have modelled the discipline, ask students to start to practise the sequences of thought and action for themselves.
• do all this gradually-- first guiding them, then gradually letting go so that they do it themselves (often most usefully with the support and encouragement of their peers).

Strategy set 8: You are not alone Because your goal is that the learners can use the threshold concept confidently, (e.g. explain it in their own words - not just repeat yours, use and apply it in their work, perhaps even try to think beyond it to the next idea), you will be helped in your teaching task by student-centred learning methodologies. Therefore:

• Consult colleagues, websites, and your Subject Centre networks for appropriate materials. The broad range of Resource-Based Learning Materials will be appropriate: Problem-Based Learning, Case-Based Learning, Flexible Learning.
• To get students to work creatively and constructively together consider using the techniques of Action Learning,
• Look at other techniques for collaborative working with colleagues e.g. Co-operative Development.

Strategy set 9: Change is never easy or pain-free Because learning a threshold concept is 'transformative' for the learner, it is not only difficult but also unsettling, perhaps even destabilising. Therefore:

• Warn learners that they will feel unsettled, and reassure them that this temporary discomfort is a sign of learning taking place
• Be patient with learners. Do not expect immediate understanding or acceptance of the challenge of a threshold concept.
• Be prepared for learners even to regress briefly, if the emotional strain of giving up previously cherished notions proves too much.
• Be prepared also for the temporary loss of previous knowledge that you thought learners had acquired,--integrating new perceptions into existing ones is a further intellectual and emotional leap.
• Be prepared for a variety of responses from learners according to their psychological dispositions-robust learners may be excited; fragile learners may be defensive and threatened and appear unmotivated for that reason.

Strategy set 10: You can take the horse to water.(or teach transparently: establish and discuss goals and expectations, give supportthe rest is up to the learners!) Although learning a threshold concept is difficult, learners are there to learn, and have been deemed capable of the learning. 'Supporting your learners' is NOT saying 'It is OK not to learn'! Therefore:

• Be realistic about what the learners can do, and how long the new learning should take.
• Have appropriate materials for the learners and establish a supportive learning environment.
• Make clear your expectations, and discuss these with the learners so they understand what is required of them.

Once all this is in place, you have every right to expect learners to take individual responsibility for doing the learning. Learners have responsibilities - to themselves, their fellow learners, and to you, to assist in making the learning environment purposeful, useful, perhaps even enjoyable. Remind them of the roles they have to play to be successful learners and to be part of a team of co-operative learners.