Instructional approach... in regard to spontaneous/non-spontaneous concepts learning

I was thinking about how different instructional approaches can work in helping students with learning either spontaneous vs. non-spontaneous concepts. My assumption is that each approach would bring different impacts in helping students with gaining understanding depending on whether concepts are spontaneous vs. non-spontaneous.

Knowing that spontaneous concepts are what we gain through social interactions and natural settings with accumulated experiences, I guess some instructions that provide ample opportunities where students can grab concepts naturally, would be better in helping them with spontaneous concepts. For instance, when students go out of schools and do some field experiences, observing things like clams, stones, etc. that are mostly found in seasides, they will have a clearer picture of how they look or smell. I know the example is not so good here, but my point would be when students haven't had good previous experiences to grasp some concepts, designing courses or instruction by incorporating the elements of experience could be helpful.

At this point, I also think that maybe there is no definite spontaneous vs. non-spontaneous concept; it is more like even the same concept can either be spontaneous or nonspontaneous concept depending on how we came to understand it. Once we were introduced to a concept artificially by other figures or mediums, it can remain as non-spontaneous at the moment but if we gradually (not always) and naturally get some ideas in our daily lives, mostly because of insights or previous schema we had, it can be spontaneous. I know that even the non-spontaneous concepts could have been learned because we had the corresponding spontaneous understanding beforehand, in theory.


I was thinking about service-learning then, whether it can be counted as an instructional approach and design that facilitates students' spontaneous skills or nonspontaneous skills. If the differentiation of spontaneous vs. nonspontaneous is confined to 'concepts,' this question may not make sense. However, if it can be something that we can also apply in terms of 'skills' or 'know-how', I guess it makes a sense to raise a question whether helping students to be more involved in real practice settings will induce their learning, spontaneously or non-spontaneously.