Concepts: Our Units of Knowledge

Schedule: This is a 1-hour class.

Format: Lecture with some class participation. No grading; homework is optional.

For more details or to schedule a class, contact Michael by email at michaelgold@goldams.com or by phone at 281-770-2276.

Cost: $20 per person for a group class of 4 or more students; $80 for one-on-one tutoring.

Payment options: Payments can be made via PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, cash, or check.

Materials: Pencil and paper.

For more details or to schedule a class, contact Michael by phone at 281-770-2276 or by email at michaelgold@goldams.com.

Class Description.

In this class, we will learn what a concept is, and a bit about how they work. How we form concepts is something all of us — students, learners, teachers, scientists, adventurers, coaches, fitness instructors, nurses, journalists, fiction writers, and more — need to know a bit about because concepts are something we all use and depend on.

Is your concept valid? Is it invalid? Will it help you treat a patient, or will it injure the patient? Will it help you live better, or undercut your happiness and health? Will it help you learn and teach better, or cause frustration and confusion?

Let’s get a beginning answer to that. (The topic of concept-formation has so much to cover, it would require many classes to learn. We will get a general intro here.)

We will cover:
-concepts
-empty words vs. concepts
-their content
-using contrast
-using context
-using similarity and difference
-getting essentials and a definition
-their relative structure and dependence

Our discussion will help you better understand how reason and logic work. It will cast light on the otherwise-mysterious functioning of our minds. It will give you some control over your thinking and make you more efficient at it — just as a green belt or blue belt in martial arts can move more efficiently than a white belt; or a trained ballerina is more efficient and graceful than a person untrained in dance.

We will use a combination of lecture, interactive discussion, Q&A, and in-class work. We will learn rules and general ideas about concepts from specific examples. Be prepared to think, to learn, and to have new horizons open up. Come prepared to listen, take notes, interact, and learn to think better.

Note: this is a class on logic, so we need to be prepared to think about our thinking. And the material and methods could be taught to adults, business professionals, and scientists, too; it’s not just easy stuff for kids. 🙂

“My teenage son enjoyed this class. A lot of material was covered. The instructor was very passionate about his subject.”
–Jean, parent, about the Outschool class “Logic Essentials: How to Think Well,” 19 Dec 2020

“Really enjoyable class from a teacher that cared and knows his stuff.”
–Anthony S., parent, about the Outschool class ““Logic Essentials: How to Think Well,” 19 Jul 2020

“Mr. Gold’s class was wonderful and our daughter enjoyed it. Mr. Gold kept her thinking. We highly recommend it.”
–Joseph P., parent, about the Outschool class ““Logic Corner: Generalization: Its Nature, Its Rules, Its Deep Importance,”3 Apr 2020

“Our daughter really enjoyed this class. She couldn’t wait to share what she learned with us, We highly recommend this class.”
–Joseph P., parent, about the Outschool class ““Logic Corner: Concepts, Our Unit of Knowledge,” 3 Apr 2020

“Both my kids, age 13 and 15, enjoyed this Logic class. It was very challenging and the kids really had to think!”
–Cat, parent, about the Outschool class ““Logic Essentials: How to Think Well,” 21 Feb 2020