Conceptual teaching in nursing education offers benefits over traditional content and fact-laden curricula, including the development of cognitive skills necessary for knowledge transfer across contexts and the ability to transform students into lifelong learners. The recent focus on active and learner-centered teaching techniques does not equate to learning conceptually, although it is a positive move away from teacher-centered techniques. A paucity of educational nursing literature exists that delineates both the theory and methods used to teach conceptually. We present a semiotic framework for teaching conceptually, in addition to outlining three core components necessary for conceptual learners: addressing misconceptions, developing enduring understandings, and acquiring metacognitive skills. Five teaching methods that are particularly fitting for conceptbased curricula and useful across all program levels are described and outlined. Active and learner-centered activities can also be designed and adapted to develop the mindset necessary to learn conceptually.
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