Innovate Online Webcast March 7th, 2007 Ten Core Principles for Designing Effective Learning Environments: Insights from Brain Research and Pedagogical Theory Judith V. Boettcher Designing for Learning and University of Florida

March 7, 2007© JudithBoettcher2 Welcome  As we are gathering… Waking up our thinking cells  Jot down a statement, question or comment about principles for designing learning…

March 7, 2007© JudithBoettcher3 Overview  Four Element Pedagogical framework  Five principles  Plus other five principles  As we "meet" and get "reacquainted" with these principles  Use for planning degree programs  Link, integrate with brain research and traditional educational principles  Link to, suggest strategies for teaching and learning

4 Section 1 Pedagogical Framework Getting our arms around it all… Framework

March 7, 2007© JudithBoettcher5 Inspired by Lev Vygotsky… LeMKE plus Four Elements of Learning Experiences— LeMKE  Learner  Faculty-Mentor  Knowledge-Content- Problem  Environment-Context

Designing Programs with LeMKE Pedagogical Framework LearnersMentors KnowledgeEnvironment Students (The Who and Why…) Infrastructure (Where, when, with whom, and how?) Content and Resources (With what and how accessed? ) Faculty (Designs, directs, supports and assesses ) Learners Management Performance Goals

Core Learning Principle: Every learning experience has four elements with the learner at the center. Learner

Core Learning Principle: Learners bring their own personalized mental models, skills and attitudes to learning experiences. framework

March 7, 2007© JudithBoettcher9 Fish is Fish Learners  Learners bring to the learning experiences  Personalized and customized knowledge  Existing mental models, skills, attitudes  Goals for learning are to grow personalized and customized knowledge store  Consider state of learners' brains — a jungle, a tundra, prairie, or small garden?  How complex and intricate are the images and patterns of their knowledge?  What are their “zones of proximal developments?” Faculty functions

Core Learning Principle: Faculty are the directors of the learning experiences and mentors of the individual learners. framework

March 7, 2007© JudithBoettcher11 Ed as "assisted performance" The Faculty Mentor (M)  Faculty mentors (M) are responsible for…  Designing and structuring the course experiences  Directing and supporting learners through the instructional events  Assessing student learning outcomes

March 7, 2007© JudithBoettcher12 Faculty summary The Faculty Mentor (M)  But… it is the students who must do the learning!  Theory of education as "assisted performance"  Shift to a "task model" as the learner outcome?  Questions for us  What tools can help faculty support and assist the learners with this work?  What tools and strategies can both save faculty time and increase student learning?  How do we segment out the tasks of teaching and mentoring?

March 7, 2007© JudithBoettcher13 Faculty Summary The "New" Faculty Roles (1)  Designers, directors, and mentors of learning  Help students to map and interpret the resources they find and create — to the targeted core principles and core concepts  Faculty bring framework and expectations  Support each learner’s zone of proximal development  Shape and direct a learner community  Create “discipline” mindset and perspective

March 7, 2007© JudithBoettcher14 Content The "New" Faculty Roles (2)  Model of the “transmission of knowledge” is morphing and reconfiguring  Faculty strives to learn what students know and to create learning experiences for the learner to construct their own unique knowledge structures upon their existing knowledge  Telling and lecturing — giving sway to questioning, probing, confirming, and coaching

Core Learning Principle: All learners do not need to learn all course content; all learners do need to learn the core concepts. Core concept focus

March 7, 2007© JudithBoettcher16 Structure of content Knowledge/Content (K) Element  All learners do not need to learn all course content/knowledge  All learners do need to learn the core or base concepts and develop useful knowledge  Vygotsky’s work leans toward PBL, problem- based learning…away from concepts of knowledge being transmitted or delivered

Core Concepts and Principles Core Concepts and Principles Applying Core Concepts Problem Analysis and Solving Design/3 content Types of Content Resources Customized and Personalized

March 7, 2007© JudithBoettcher18 Holodeck Design for 3 Sources of Content  Prepackaged authoritative content (textbook)  Traditionally about 30% to 40% of course  Usually containing core concepts, principles and core discipline perspectives  Gradually moving to digital packaging and availability  Guided learning materials  Materials produced specifically for a course by a faculty member, syllabus, projects, feedback and mentoring  Performance content created by students  Content generated in discussion boards, projects, study materials (can also be "found" content")

Core Learning Principle: Every learning experience occurs within a context or an environment in which the learner interacts with the knowledge, content or problem. holodeck

March 7, 2007© JudithBoettcher20 Think life-style/context Environment (E) Element  Every learning experience occurs within a context or an environment (E) in which the learner interacts with the knowledge (K), content or problem  Design for the when, where, with whom and with what resources…

Design to support a person doing an activity in context Section 2b— Countdown

March 7, 2007© JudithBoettcher22 The Holodeck — Rapid Learning and Entertainment Basic environmental question

March 7, 2007© JudithBoettcher23 More Principles …(1)  Every learner has a zone of proximal development that defines the space that a learner is ready to develop into useful knowledge  Concepts are not words; concepts are organized and intricate knowledge clusters

March 7, 2007© JudithBoettcher24 More Principles …(2)  Different instruction is required for different learning outcomes (Gagne, 1965)  Everything else being equal, more time on task equals more learning  We shape our tools and our tools shape us

25 Thanks… Suggestions, questions, comments?