A Conceptual Integration and Educational Analysis

Conceptual Integration is a key operating principle in education and a powerful skill for any teacher. Two different concepts are brought together in a way that recognizes what is similar and different in them. This allows for an imaginative synthesis that can illuminate a complex process, such as when the heart is compared to a pump, or the cell to a factory. With explicit knowledge teachers can gain productive, conscious control of this vital pedagogic act and educational researchers will have insightful tools to grasp the complex operating principles of the process.