How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School John D. Bransford, Ann L. Brown, and Rodney R. Cocking, editors

How People Learn Key Findings Pre-Existing Knowledge Active Learning Competence

Pre-Existing Knowledge Preconceptions students bring to classroom about how the world works Teachers must learn these and either build on or challenge initial understanding

Active Learning Metacognition Ability to predict performance on various tasks Monitor current levels of mastery and understanding Meaning-making, self-assessment, and reflection Increases degree to which students transfer learning to new situations

Competence Conceptual Framework Students Need Deep foundation of factual knowledge Knowledge organized to facilitate retrieval and application Understanding of facts and ideas in the context of a conceptual framework

Implications for Teachers Draw out & work with pre-existing understandings of learners –Assessments must tap understanding and reveal student thinking Teach some content in depth –proving many examples of the same concept and a firm foundation of factual knowledge Develop metacognitive skills –Inquiry cycle –Self-reflection –Colleague critique –Mentor evaluation

Designing Learning Environments How People Learn: Bridging Research and Practice –Learner-centered –Knowledge-centered –Assessment-centered –Community-centered

Learner Centered Broad understanding of Learner Instruction is Differentiated Challenges are Engaging, but Possible

Knowledge Centered Deep Understanding of Content Reasoning Behind Learning the Content Competence Facilitates New Learning

Assessment Centered When students construct knowledge through disciplined inquiry, they must often: -consider alternative solutions, -justify their conclusions with reasons and evidence, -apply their knowledge to new contexts, -develop deep understanding of topics, and -express themselves through elaborate communication

Community Centered Norms that encourage inquiry, problem-solving, risk- taking, the opportunity to make mistakes, obtain feedback, and revise Critique should involve all members of the learning community –Collegial critique is a skill Curriculum supports cooperation and intellectual curiosity

Themes from Reading Research Student choice Deep understanding Critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making Analyzing information, applying knowledge to new situations, and comprehending new ideas Collaboration and teamwork Technology-enabled presentations of learning, knowledge, information Reflection and metacognition Ethics, responsibility, sociability and self-management

Web Design Initial Considerations for your Design Outline

Purpose or Mission Portfolio of work Page to support a class or course Consulting page Resource page Project page Personal page Other

Categories of Information What categories do you need? Think Flow Chart –Three Levels Maximum Navigation (part of Visual Design) –FrontPage Navigation Buttons with Themes –Horizontal Links –Vertical Links –Main menu with sub menu for 3 levels

Resources Gather resources you will link to, organized by categories/pages –Links to other web sites - urls –Word Documents –PowerPoints –Excel Spreadsheets –Images/Photos –Contact Information (limit to address in most circumstances)

Visual Design Design Tools –FrontPage Themes –FrontPage images or clipart –Photography –Digital art –Drawing or painting –Color scheme Tables to organize and format –Page titles, menus, logos/art, text, links, images –Navigation (FrontPage buttons, links, vertical or horizontal)

Web-Based Tools Web authoring –FrontPage Communication –blog Collaboration –wiki