Instructional Design: How do People Learn? Madeleine Lapointe Senior Instructional Specialist Department of Biochemistry June 7, 1999 Creating skilled learners Why is there no word in English for the art of learning? Webster says that the word pedagogy means the art of teaching. What is missing is the parallel word for learning. In schools of education, courses on the art of teaching are often listed simply as "methods." Everyone understands that the methods of importance in education are those of teaching ­ these courses supply what is thought to be needed to become a skilled teacher. But what about methods of learning? What courses are offered for those who want to become skilled learners? Seymour Papert, Constructionism in Practice, Yasmin Kafai & Mitchel Resnick editors Helping Students Becoming Skilled Learners Students need to know - that they are responsible for their own learning - learning is an active process, they have control over this process - what is expected of them Teachers need to know - that students learn and remember what they understand, not what they are told Memory - is a dynamic system - previous knowledge may help or hinder learning

• Link new information with what is familiar to students

• Address misconceptions before introducing new concepts

• Tell students ahead of time what they are expected to learn

• Take students through your expert thinking process

• Help students organize their knowledge,
  and give them a chance to do their own organization

Expert / Novice

Expert - notices features - notices meaningful patterns - organizes new information - reflects on context and applicability Novice - struggles

We refer to different forms of knowledge when developing critical thinking:

1.	declarative: the concepts, the facts
2.	procedural: how it works, what we can do with declarative knowledge
3.	metacognition: use strategies to apply knowledge to new situations

Problem sets

-	multiple choice format as a learning instrument instead of a testing instrument
-	non-linear interactive presentation requires the active participation of the user
-	through navigation buttons, students are in direct control of their learning.

Developped using the same structure: The Architecture Project