Exemplifying

Exemplification is a communication practice through which meaning is explained by the use of linguistic forms called examples. Examples can be defined in several ways. They may be thought of in terms of representatives of a group, a pattern of a specific kind, a similar case that comprises a precedent, or a problem or exercise used to explain a principle or a concept. Finding examples is a task that many students enjoy.

A common assignment while studying geometry is to define and discuss angles; students are then sent out on a “field trip” in the building to find such angles. For instance, the glass panels in the doors of the building may have right angles. Using principles and concepts, students begin finding their own examples. According to Kahn (2002), a good set of examples will include simple examples, typical examples, and unusual examples, and it will be complemented by some nonexamples. While simple examples are self-explanatory, typical examples contain all of the characteristics of the idea with nothing left out. Unusual examples indicate that the student can “step outside the box” and really understands the material.

Nonexamples clarify understanding; when a student knows what does not qualify as an example, she has a better idea of the concept. A graphic organizer may be used for exemplifying; Appendix B has examples. Storytelling can be part of exemplifying. Students love to tell stories, and stories can include patterns that represent the important components of the principle or concept. According to Damasio (1999), telling stories “is probably a brain obsession and probably begins relatively early both in terms of evolution and in terms of the complexity.

Telling stories precedes language, since it is, in fact, a condition for language, and it is based not just in the cerebral cortex but elsewhere in the brain and in the right hemisphere as well as the left” (p. 189). In Making Connections: Teaching and the Human Brain, Caine and Caine (1994) state that “there is strong reason to believe that organization of information in story form is a natural brain process” (p. 122). Why fight Mother Nature? If this form of exemplifying will work with your content, encourage your students to recode using stories.

Illustrations are another way to exemplify. Fifty-five experiments were performed comparing learning from illustrated and nonillustrated texts. The results indicated that illustrations increased interest, enjoyment, and understanding. It was calculated that groups using illustrated texts performed 36 percent better than groups using text alone (Burmark, 2002). Creating or finding illustrations to exemplify conceptual understanding may be especially important and helpful to visual and kinesthetic learners.

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