One of the first steps when planning a new unit of learning that is really going to engage your students, make the learning relevant to them and inspire them to go beyond simple recall, is to choose an overarching concept.
But why does this matter for your students' learning?
The Power of Conceptual Thinking
An overarching concept acts as a bridge that helps students transfer knowledge across different contexts. When students learn through concepts like change, patterns, or systems, they begin recognising these ideas beyond your classroom—in other subjects, in their lives, and in new situations they encounter.
For example, a student exploring interdependence in a science unit about ecosystems can transfer this understanding to social studies when examining communities, or to mathematics when analysing relationships between variables. The concept becomes a lens through which they view and connect diverse learning experiences.
More Than Just a Theme
Junior school teachers might compare a concept to a "theme" for interdisciplinary units, but it's far more powerful. While a theme like "pirates" or "space" provides context, a concept provides intellectual structure. It's the timeless, abstract "big idea" that:
- Unifies your unit and links learning experiences across subjects
- Helps students see patterns and make meaningful connections
- Promotes deeper understanding and critical thinking
- Enables students to apply learning in unfamiliar contexts
Choosing Your Concept
Select one concept broad enough to encompass all your learning objectives. Strong concepts are:
- Timeless and universal (relevant across year levels and contexts)
- Abstract yet accessible (supports rich inquiry and discussion)
- Transferable (students can recognise it in multiple situations)
- Thought-provoking (inspires curiosity and creativity)
Examples include: survival, pattern, change, perspective, systems, or balance.
By anchoring learning to concepts, you're not just teaching content—you're teaching students how to think and make connections that last beyond the unit.
The great thing about the Vivedus Platform is that your AI assistant, ViV-iT, will help you brainstorm and select a really great concept that connects to the content you are planning to teach and inspires greater student engagement and learning.
Read the next resource: Open-Ended Challenges for Curriculum Leaders: Strengthening Student Agency and Designing Authentic Assessment
