Complex Irregularities

As we wrap up our study of learning theories this semester, we have come to the most intensive methods of study - and also likely the most learner rich methods of study.

While I stole the title of this post specifically from Fitzgerald's article about the cognitive flexibility theory 1, the thing that I find most compelling about each of the methods of learning in this unit is that they enable students to make their own varied sense out of the complex and irregular world in which we live.

Cog Flex situates students in the center of a complicated situation and asks them to draw conclusions about it.  Once they have done that, they are then asked to apply what they have learned in another situation.  Case-based reasoning asks students to do something similar by having them delve into specific scenarios and then eventually apply the prior knowledge they have gained from those scenarios to new scenarios.  These two types of learning ask students to do the most difficult parts of learning - critical thinking and application.

While our study of learning objects might seem slightly out of place in this unit, I actually think it is particularly helpful here, as learning objects can help teachers overcome the main barriers to implementing these sophisticated types of learning: motivation and teacher time.  Students can struggle with a lack of prior knowledge and sometimes interest when involved in time and thought-intensive projects such as these.  And of course, as mentioned in my last post, the more independent and in-depth the learning experience for students, the more time and effort it takes from the teacher on the front end to set up a thoughtful learning experience.

The growing popularity and availability of learning objects is making it easier for teachers to conquer the time element of planning activities such as these.  Teachers can now search for the relevant pieces of the puzzle to put together rather than having to create them all from scratch.  Additionally, many of the learning objects being put together now are highly interesting and in-depth materials, something that will keep students more engaged in the long run.

I would certainly want to see theories such as these implemented in the courses that I am helping to create in my current job.  I think it is even more possible in the online environment for students to engage in this type of learning because they are not limited to the time constraints of a class period.  Learning management systems (Haiku is the one we use) allow for easy addition of learning objects and for clear step-by-step pacing of the work students need to complete.

I am working on an AP English III course right now which focuses on the study of language and rhetoric.  Students have to read many speeches and essays to analyze them for how the author used ethos, pathos, and logos to sway the audience.  I think this could easily lend itself to case-based reasoning as the students study each writer's particular craft, attempt to anticipate moves that writers faced with certain audiences will make, and of course write their own speeches and essays.

Tools such as eduCanon and Udutu make it easy to guide students through specific cases (essays in my instance) and Google Docs can allow students to easily create and share their own writing with me and their peers.


_________________________________________________________________________________
1) "The computer-mediated activities provided through these materials are designed to stimulate cognitive flexibility to enable the learner to construct his or her own knowledge based on analyses of complex and irregular situations, and subsequently utilize that knowledge in problem-solving activities."  
Fitzgerald, G., Wilson, B., & Semrau, L. (). An Interactive Multimedia Program to Enhance Teacher Problem-Solving Skills Based on Cognitive Flexibility Theory: Design and Outcomes. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 6, 47-76.