Teaching involves the use of various techniques in order to convey meaning for the students. The available methods that are available are highly varied. In this post, we will look at the use of examples and non-examples in providing meaning for students. Example: The term many of us are probably familiar with is example. In education, examples represent an idea or concept that a teacher is trying to teach their students. For example (no pun intended), if a teacher is trying to explain vocabulary they may use several different illustrations to explain the word. Non-example: Non-examples are, as you can tell, the opposite of examples. Where examples provide an instance of similarity, non-examples provide an instance of contrast. Below is the same situation with the use of convoluted is a sentence but this time the teacher shows the meaning through employing a non-example.