Cognitive/information processing psychology and instruction: Reviewing recent theory and practice

With increasing frequency, constructs developed within the field of cognitive/information processing psychology are being employed in the development of instructional theory. This article attempts to organize a broad range of developments in instructional psychology which have this common origin. Particular emphasis is placed on the applicability of constructs such as data structures and procedures. Recent developments in instructional psychology are discussed relative to cognitive task analysis, individual difference variables, and cognitive models of interactive instructional decision-making. Implications for future theory and practice are considered.     

Analogical instruction within the information processing paradigm: effective means to facilitate learning

Research on the structure of memory has led to evidence that relating unfamiliar information to that which is familiar facilitates the new material's acquisition and retention; moreover, such associations can be efficiently achieved through the use of analogies. The present paper discusses the current information processing conceptualization of memory, the processes of learning by analogy, and the overall desired outcomes of their use to acquire and retain new information. Additionally, instructional implications of how, when, and why to use analogies are discussed.     

Toward a theory of experiential instruction

Attention to experiential instruction is needed if the learning process is not to be left totally to chance. This paper proposes a theory of experiential instruction based on ideas of Jerome Bruner. Four general requirements of a theory of instruction (attention to the learner's predisposition to learning, appropriate structuring of knowledge, meaningful sequencing of concepts and timely feedback) are examined in light of the instructional role in experiential settings. The discussion concludes with a call for research and development to refine and improve the practice of experiential instruction.This paper will appear in somewhat different form in a volume tentatively entitled Service-Learning in Higher Education: A Guide for Faculty, currently being prepared for the National Student Volunteer Program, a part of ACTION. The author extends his appreciation to NSVP staff for permission to adapt ideas originally developed for work contracted to NSVP. The ideas and opinions in this paper do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of NSVP, ACTION or the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, and no official endorsement should be inferred.This article is based on a presentation at the 1978 SFEE/NCPSIP annual convention.     

建构主义理论与物理说课探究

建构主义理论作为教学理论的最新发展,给我国的说课活动带来了最新的理论指导。用建构主义理论指导说课,教师首先要树立建构主义的教学观,并在具体的教学过程中通过积极协助学生建构知识,将这种教学观落到实处。     

From learning to development: a sociocultural approach to instruction

Theories of human development and learning provide an essential framework in which to understand the mechanisms involved in the process of formal instruction as a specific form of teaching and learning in the school setting. The sociocultural theory of development, founded on the works of Lev Vygotsky, espouses the view that social interaction among two or more people is the greatest motivating force in human development. Communication, via the use of language, provides one of the most effective means of social interaction. By collaborating toward a common cultural goal, people co‐construct new knowledge by building on each participant's contribution. Based on the main tenets of sociocultural theory, the following eight interrelated principles for instruction are presented, namely, that it should be: mediated; discursive; collaborative; responsive; contextualized; activity‐oriented; developmental; and integrated.     

Teaching and learning cycles in a constructivist approach to instruction

This study attempts to analyze and synthesize the knowledge collected in the area of conceptual models used in teaching and learning during inquiry-based projects, and to propose a new frame for organizing the classroom interactions within a constructivist approach. The IMSTRA model consists in three general phases: Immersion, Structuring, Applying, each with two sub-phases that highlight specific roles for the teacher and the students. Two case studies, one for mathematics in grade 9 and another for science in grade 3, show how the model can be implemented in school, making inquiry realistic in regular classes. Beyond its initial purpose, the IMSTRA model proved to be a powerful tool in curriculum development, being used in producing mathematics textbooks, as well as in developing teaching courses for a long-distance teacher-training program.     

记忆理论和信息加工理论的英语词汇教学实验研究

记忆是一种复杂的大脑处理加工信息的现象,词汇教学应根据记忆的特征和信息加工相关理论,采取科学的方法合理安排符合记忆规律的教学内容。     

A cybernetic approach to programmed language instruction

Introductory remarks

In the following discussion, the term language instruction is used in the sense of teaching the manipulation of language mechanics. This enables the student to produce grammatically correct sentences and strings of sentences in response to any given sentence meaning or string of sentence meanings and to understand the cognitive meaning of any given sentence formulations. The skills he practises during foreign language instruction thus correspond to the content of those rules in a transformational grammar which are not contained in the base (Chomsky 1984) and to their inverse.     

Meaningful interaction: toward a new theoretical approach to online instruction

ABSTRACT

Taking full advantage of the educative benefits of interaction in digital learning environments will require the development of new theoretical frameworks that can contribute to a richer understanding of interaction. Literary theory provides an excellent place to develop such a framework and advanced understanding. Literary theory enables us to reconceptualise online courses as ‘texts’, thereby equipping us with more sophisticated modes of analysis for the teaching and learning process. By rethinking online courses as texts, and better yet as what Roland Barthes has described as ‘writerly’ texts, we can improve interaction in the online classroom. More importantly, we can move toward a more meaningful form of interaction, where learners interact with course content at the level of meaning and meaning making, where interaction becomes a full participation in the production of a lesson’s meaning. Indeed, this aim of co-producing meaning should be the primary objective of all learning.     

Successful instructional methods: A cognitive information processing approach

This is the fifth ECTJ/ERIC-IR Young Scholar Paper, an annual award initiated to stimulate writing by young professionals in the field of instructional technology. Preparation of the paper was supported by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information Resources at Syracuse, N.Y. -Ed. The author wishes to acknowledge the extensive advice and assistance of Richard E. Clark in preparing the final version of the original paper and the many recommendations for revision from the Young Scholar judges, and particularly to thank William Winn, Robert Heinich, and Tom Schwen for their suggestions, without, of course, holding them responsible for the final product.     

Visual information processing: A pragmatic approach to the “imagery question”

Whether information is stored and processed as images or propositions is of importance to instructional designers but may never be known for certain. Nevertheless, what is known about representation can still be useful. The author suggests that it is sometimes useful to consider information as being encoded as images, sometimes as language, and sometimes as propositions and describes research that provides evidence of processing in all these forms.     

Towards a theory of instruction in the 1980s

The purpose of this article is to provide a historical perspective on the contributions of learning and instruction to instructional theory and to discuss some of the major obstacles currently inhibiting the growth of “Instructional Theory.” Some suggestions for future development of this discipline are provided. In clarifying the impediments to instructional theories' development, heavy reliance is placed upon the process of theory construction as perceived by philosophers of the natural and social sciences. Some comments are made regarding the appropriate use of instructional theory in developing nations.