In recent years, there has been extensive research in student learning and teaching practice in such areas as cognitive psychology, learning theory and teaching strategies. Effective instruction can be learned and defined and it is an art as well as a science. There are four areas of thinking to which instruction is directed: knowledge acquisition, cognitive processes, metacognitive processes and the self-system (dispositions). Within this framework, there are many instructional practices that can focus on engaging the different types of thinking. An instructional cycle should engage all four types of thinking in students as teachers use instructional practices in sequence or in tandem. It is important that teachers encourage students to become autonomous learners. A part of the Powerful Instructional Practices Series, this video is introduced by Ian Krips, Associate Director of Saskatchewan Professional Development Unit (SPDU): Professional Growth Partnerships. Krips explains that concept attainment is a practice where the teacher asks students to determine the critical attributes of an abstract concept by comparing and contrasting exemplars that have the attributes of the concept with exemplars that do not have the attributes of the concept. He outlines four components to consider when choosing a concept: concept name, examples/exemplars, attributes and value range. In a classroom scenario, a Grade 5 math class is engaged in the development of a definition of the concept of polygon. The video shows a teacher providing instruction and moving the lesson from teacher directed with a gradual release of control to student directed. The teacher demonstrates respectful responses to the students' answers and she lets the students determine if their suggested attributes fit the examples. The class reviews its list of attributes with the teacher's definition and confirms that they align. More information on concept attainment and other instructional practices can be found in the document entitled Powerful Instructional Practices: A Resource for Teachers and Administrators.