Understanding levels of abstraction

Happy new year … it’s not too late is it?

I want to take PeriodOne back to it’s didactic roots for a moment and write down a concept which just occurred to me on the way to my class today. I have spent the last two days performing oral exams for my course in English for Academic Purposes and now – rather too late it must be said – I’ve realised what is so often lacking in situations where students are required to explain complex ideas: an awareness and control of levels of abstraction. The more I think about it, the more clear it is to me that this should form the backbone of any course purporting to teach academic writing or discussion. Don’t get me wrong – we have talked about this in my lessons, but it’s never had a name as such, and that means that it’s never really been anchored in students’ minds in the same way that – say – connective phrases or use of the passive voice are.

If it is to be easily and accurately understood, every complex idea must be explained progressively through its different levels of abstraction. Many students are able to name and describe theories; many others can think up enlightening examples of such theories applied. Few can confidently move between one form of explanation and the other. And even fewer can actively organise their thoughts into levels of abstraction and then consciously deploy these in the order and manner which best explicates their point: moving from theory to example, from abstract to concrete, may be the most conventional way of getting an idea across, but it is not the only one.