Epistemic Games - Ryan Sevy

Epistemic Games--
Ryan Sevy EDT605

Epistemology- A theory and philosophy the means to be concerned with knowledge was first introduced into English by the Scottish metaphysical writer, James Frederick Ferrier (1808-1864).  It asks the questions, “What is knowledge?”, “How is knowledge acquired?” and “What do people know?” Ways in which knowledge was found was believed through Truth, the Scientific Method, and Descriptive Knowledge.  Taking truths and beliefs, and combing the two and separating poorly justified true beliefs, one can acquire knowledge.  Ferrier expanded on the Greek Philosopher Plato’s Propositions as seen the diagram below:

     Epistemic Games are games that contribute to the player learning and gaining knowledge as he/she plays. “Epistemic games are computer games that can help players learn to think like engineers, urban planners, journalists, lawyers, and other innovative professionals, giving them the tools they need for a changing world. In epistemic games, players see what it is like to live in the world of adults” (Baxi, Viplav, 2012, July 27).  There are already several popular epistemic games on the market that various schools as part of their instructional model.  Using an epistemic game, the students collaborate in their use, create and solve problems both together and individually, and gain new knowledge in the process of the subject in the process.  The epistemic games model uses the epistemic frame hypothesis which is “a theory of learning that analyzes thinking in terms of connections among frame elements: skills, knowledge, values, and justification or decision-making (otherwise known as epistemology) of a STEM profession” (Baxi, Viplay, 2012, July 27).  The epistemic games instructional model falls under the Constructivist theory as it is one that asks its learners to use their minds to understand new knowledge through their experiences, and uses collaboration and reflection to progress through their problems. Constructivist theory is one that states that learning is not done passively but is something where the learner builds on their knowledge through their experiences in the world, and are able to build on their past and make current connections to achieve new meanings. 

     An example of an epistemic game that would be used in a lesson is where a student is given a city layout and they are asked to be the new “mayor” of the city and manage all aspects of the city as a new mayor would.  Through the game the students will face real life scenarios such as urban development and land management and then have to come up with solutions on how to balance the two.  While navigating the game, the students are experiencing real scenarios where they must collaborate at times to reach a solution, and other times they are able to make individual decisions based on their own best knowledge.  The teacher acts as a guide or a facilitator and allows the students to open up their minds and make their own decisions about how they interpret what they are learning.  As the students’ progress through the game they continue to grow in their knowledge and build onto their prior knowledge and experiences, and through all of this they are learning skills required in structural and civil engineering.

    Some characteristics associated with epistemic games are the following:

·         Skills – These are the things that other students who are also playing the game (are in the community) are doing.  What are the strengths that each student brings to table, such as organizational skills or good communication skills.

·         Knowledge – The expertise that is gained by the individual and shared with one another.

·         Identity- This is simply the way in which each member sees themselves and those around them.  Knowing the role one plays in the game and others as well.

·         Values- The morals or beliefs that each of the students involved believe to be true for themselves. This can really play out in listening and decision making, and if one is thinking more if themselves or others.

·         Epistemology- The ability to understand and reason with the game.  This can be how well a student understands what they have learned and are applying it to what decisions they are making within the game; these also affect others.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M2VBsHkFfI

This is a video of an example of some epistemic games where kids are learning civil and mechanical engineering skills while playing computer games.

/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M2VBsHkFfI

This is a video example of an Epistemic Game for an after school program targeted at at-risk youths called Mind Drive. The program teaches kids through hands on instruction on building and marketing a car, while having fun and learning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMiI1TLl4EI

The above video explains one popular epistemic game called Urban Science, where kids get to play as city planners in Wisconsin.

http://www.hypegames.com/misc-games/?o=hot&pg=0

The above link takes you to a popular epistemic game called SodaConstructor.

http://edgaps.org/gaps/wp-content/uploads/Promoting-Civic-Thinking-through-Epistemic-Game-Play.pdf

The above link is a scholarly article on Epistemic Games.

Constructivism includes the following points:

·       -  Learning occurs by students doing the work.

·         -As the learner learns, they construct what they are learning and comprehending.

·       -  Personal experience contributes to the learning process and knowledge.

·         -Social interaction play a key role in the gaining of knowledge and the learning process (group collaboration).

·         -The teacher guides the students to gain their own understandings and construct their own knowledge.

In using epistemic games as learning activities, the teacher is engaging the students directly in a constructivist learning environment. The students are able to navigate the game on their own, but also work with their peers.  As the students learn more about the game and its elements, they are able to personalize the information and make it uniquely their own new constructed knowledge.  Progressing through the game, the students build on their constructed knowledge and share it with others within their communities, and also take their own personal experiences I life to contribute to the decisions they will make. 

Another example of how an epistemic game could be used in a Social Studies class would be for the students to play the game Civilization where they create an old world civilization and then are placed in charge of running the entire world.  The game begins small and then builds as the students gain more knowledge. The students use the knowledge they have constructed an continue to make decisions that are both influenced by their own real life experiences and the real history they learn as they progress through the game.  The teacher would act as their guide for some support but primarily allows the students to construct their world as they desire best based on their knowledge.  During the game play the students are faced with scenarios such as what tax rate to set in order to fund what hey need, but also keep the citizens from being unproductive out of anger from high taxes.  The students would need to build libraries and hospitals to advance their society and keep it healthy.  In the end an assessment could be made based on how successful a students civilization became and what they learned in the process from the game and one another.

References:

Popper, K. (n.d.). Outline of Epistemology , Wikipedia, (2015).
Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_epistemology#History_of_epistemology

Baxi, V., Epistemic Games (2012). NASSG.org.
Retrieved from

http://nassg.org/?p=73

Images

Retrieved from
http://www.iep.utm.edu/ferrier/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_epistemology#/media/File:Classical_definition_of_Kno.svg

MOOs/MUD - EDT 605 by Deborah De Pano

October 10, 2015

As I entered the room, I saw an unfamiliar face. This face looked menacing. Mean. I knew I was in big trouble. I reached for my sword and swung. When I opened my eyes, the face was gone. But where? To another room in this house I've built? Or maybe to get reinforcements to come back to finish me. And where is Billy? He's supposed to be my teammate! I need him here to help deal with this threat. Time to send him a message to let him know of the danger I'm in. So, I pound away at my keyboard furiously pleading with him in the chat room, to create as many characters as he can before the face returns! This type of interaction in the computer based virtual world is an example of MOOs/MUDs.

 Profile of Moos/M.U.D.:

MOOs stands for Mud, Object Oriented.  This technology allows users on a computer to build and create, such as the popular game Minecraft or Chit Chat City.  M.U.D. stands for Multi-User Dimension, which are virtual environments where you can create yourself as a character and move about in any type of world, navigating with the use of the mouse.  (Outka, 1996). M.U.D. is also referred to as Multi-User Dungeon or Domain.  Together, these type of internet sites provide opportunity for multiple users to engage and interact with each other (via characters and/or chatting), creating virtual worlds where they can create their own type of world to live in or move around in, create multiple characters, rooms, buildings and interact by competing, fighting, communicating, or basically "living" in a different world.  Users are able to navigate and manipulate the characters within the world they create, chat with other users within their world that they create, and take their imagination wherever it may want to go.  

Profile of Instructional Model 

MOOs/M.U.D.s is associated with the Behaviorism Theory. In order to comprehend how these two are related, here are several words from Professor Linda Harasim's Behaviorist Theory cloud:

Instructional Stimuli Interpretation Operant Behavior Reward Punishment Subjectivity Teaching Machines Unconditioned Stimulus Voluntary Behavior Verbal Behavior Abstract Relationship Behavior Cognitive Domain Human Behavior

In these virtual worlds, circumstances, situations and interactions are not pre-determined. As such, events that occur both good and bad, have a profound effect on the characters which shape future behavior. For example, if a character is attacked by other characters, in order to survive, one must learn to defend him/herself.  Behaviors that are displayed within these virtual worlds often are an extension of the person who created the character, the user.  Conversely, characters can be created as an alter-ego to play out behaviors that would only exist "virtually" and would not be a normal behavior displayed in real life.  According to the Major Learning Theories, we can determine that this type of interaction falls under the category of Behaviorism. As characterized in the narrative above, the user needs to process the information that is in front of him, the unfamiliar face, and decide what actions he will take.  In M.U.D., the user can program his character to act or respond according to what he wishes.  In this case, the character is programmed by the user to seek help from another user in the virtual world, Billy.

To fully dwelve deeper to fully understand what it takes to program a virtual world, here's a link that shows a visual, https://youtu.be/ixJlujkUoMU, (Youser.04:Aardwolf (MUD). 2012).

     Individual Embedded Theories 

Under Behaviorism, Skinner and Thorndike discuss how the human behavior is studied through behavior.   A complex human behavior theory known as "Operant Conditioning" is described by B.F. Skinner, who describes Operant Conditioning as "intentional actions that have an effect on the surrounding environment", which Skinner has based his theory from Psychologist Edward Thorndike, who developed Operant Conditioning within Behaviorism. (Thorndike, 1905). For example, as one user is walking through the virtual world and encounters the unfamiliar face, his reaction will stem from his type of personality or his attitude.  He is able to "act" in any way possible, in what ever imaginative or creative way he chooses his character to react.  In the narrative above, he chooses to plead for the help of his friend Billy to take his character into the room, and to his aid before the unfamiliar face returns.  The observable behavior that is conducted in the virtual world, M.U.D., ties in the relationship of Behaviorism, where users display a wide array of human behavior condusive to the computer-based instruction environment in which the multi-users create.  

 Below is a video from YouTube that previews the top 10 virtual worlds of 2015.  You may have heard of some of them, or may have not.  Yet they are part of the world of M.U.D. in which users are able to become creators of their own imagination.

            Information Processing is part of the Behaviorism theory, which uses a computer model to describe how we take in information, how we process it, retain it and utilize it.  In the virtual world, the computer saves information that is programmed and keeps this information for use when the user requires it.  There are four steps to the Information Processing Theory, which are:

1) Information is sensed and registered
2) Information is temporarily stored in short-term or working, memory.
3) Information is encoded and put in long-term memory.
4) Information is retrieved.

            

            In summary, in the M.U.D. world, Behaviorism and Information Processing is utilized together, with the computer programming information of the user.  As the user creates, stores information, changes information, creates behaviors between characters and manipulates the movement and reaction of the characters, the computer stores the information into memory.  The computer will be readily available for the users next move, if the user chooses to repeat, but in this world, the user can process the information, create and re-direct or recreate as he/she pleases, in which tons of virtual worlds have been created.  It is a world where, with the help of the computer, we are able to utilize our imaginations to the fullest, while socializing and creating with other players (users), and behaving in any manner possible, knowing that this virtual world is a world between you and your computer.

References:

Fox, Andy. 2014. Top 10 Virtual Worlds of 2015. Retrieved at https://youtu.be/QxTKdRpQvbc

Information Processing Model: Sensory, working and long-term memory.Khanacademymedicine.
       2013. Retrieved at http://youtu.be//pMMRE4Q2FGk

McLeod, Saul. 2007. Skinner-Operant Conditioning. Retrieved from Simple Psychology                at http://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html

Minecraft School: Nightmare in Hotel Transylvania. 2015. Retrieved at https://youtu.be/DmbY9ZmyYSY

Webkinz, Gwyneth Loves. 2015. Chit Chat City Tutorial retrieved at https://youtu.be/jkEwgO6wriM

WhatIs.com. 2015. MUD. Retrieved at http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/MUD-Multi-User-         Dungeon

What is MUD. 2001. Retrieved at https://www.zuggsoft.com/zmud/aboutmud.htm

What is MUD/Moo. 1996. Retrieved at http://www.siue.edu/~dsawyer/CMC/MM.html

Subsumption Learning Theory by Sandra Steele

Subsumption Learning Theory by Sandra Steele

David Ausubel, an American psychologist, developed the Subsumption Learning Theory. Subsumption falls under the umbrella of Cognitive Learning Theory, which focuses on how people think and gain knowledge.  Ausubel was influenced by Jean Piaget, who was the first psychologist to make a systematic study of cognitive development. "Cognitivists were interested in modeling the mental structures and processes that operated in the mind in order to explain behavior (Harasim, p. 47).

Ausubel's Subsumption Theory was particularly relevant for educators since it applied to learning in a school setting, rather than laboratory experiments.  "Subsumption is the process by which new previously unencountered information is brought into a student's existing cognitive structure and systematically compared and contrasted with prior knowledge and subsequently this new knowledge takes on meaning and becomes anchored within that person's cognitive structure" (Hannum, p. 2, 2015).

The focus of the Subsumption Theory is that it involves meaningful learning where the students subsume or organize new knowledge into prior knowledge, which involves reorganization of cognitive structures.  This theory suggests that this is done in the brain in a hierarchical manner.
His emphasis was on meaningful verbal leaning, rather than rote learning.  Meaningful learning is when new information is taken into the learner's existing cognitive structure and is related to already learned content, forming new connections between this new information and the existing information. Once prior knowledge is determined, the teacher needs to help the students maximize meaningful learning and ensures that there is growth and that the learner is able to use the knowledge to solve problems.

The Subsumption Theory components are as follows:

1.  Correlative Subsumption - The new material is an extension of the already grasped knowledge.

2.  Derivative Subsumption - The new material derives from the existing structure, and can be linked to other concepts or lead to new interpretations.

The use of Advance organizers, which should be given prior to instruction, helps students organize facts and ideas.

Types of Advance Organizers
1.  Expository organizers provides learners with a description of new knowledge.
2.  Comparative organizers provides information that is somewhat familiar to the learner.
3.  Narrative organizers provides students with new information in a story format.
4.  Skimming organizers provides students with the opportunity to look over the new material.
5.  Graphic organizers may include pictographs, descriptive or conceptual patterns, and concept maps.

Key Principles
1.  Students are first presented with the most general concepts and then their analyses.
2.  Instructional materials should include new as well as formerly learned information.  Comparisons between new and old concepts are significant.

Example of Subsumption Learning Theory in the Classroom
In a classroom setting, the teacher can do a science lesson on plant transportation.  The teacher will show students pictures of plants and pictures of different types of transportation.  Students will brainstorm and make circle maps of anything they can think of that is related to plants and transportation.  Teacher will ask the students, "How do you think plants and transportation are related?"  Students will access their prior knowledge about the basic concept that plants are living things and about plant cells and their organelles.  Further, students will have prior knowledge about transportation.  They know transport means to move.

The teacher writes the essential question on the board, "How do plants transport water, nutrients, and minerals to stay alive?"  Students will make a prediction in their science journals.  They will see a real plant.  Students will are given an Advance organizer on the basic part of a plant,which includes, roots, stems, and leaves.  Students are asked to brainstorm with their groups about what plants need to stay alive.  They will read background information in their textbook and on the Internet to learn that materials move through parts of a plant.  Students are to take notes and define key terms.  They are also required to reflect on what they have learned in their science journal.

Students are given familiar facts such as the parts of a plant, roots, stems, and leaves.  They learn about the vascular system in plants, the xylem, and the phloem.  In this lesson, general to more specific information works its way up the hierarchy.  New knowledge of plants is attached to the concept that plants are living things.  This is Derivative Subsumption.  When students learn that nonvascular plants exist, such as moss and liverwort, students will then develop Correlative Subsumption.  Through teacher scaffolding, they will understand that most plants have vascular systems, but there are a few that do not.  Students will illustrate and label a diagram for vascular plants.  Students will prepare a celery investigation to show plant transportation.  This is done with food coloring and a stalk of celery.  The lesson can be further extended to compare and contrast the transportation system between plants and animals.

Links
This is a detailed article about David Ausubel's Learning Theories.  Click on the link below to learn more about David Ausubel's Notion of Meaningful Learning.
David Ausubel's Learning Theories

This is a detailed article about what teachers should know about learning theories.  Click on the link below.
What Teachers Should Know About Learning Theories

This is a youtube video that focuses on teaching comprehension and meaningful learning.  Click on the link below.
Teaching Comprehension and Meaningful Learning

David Ausubel

         

http://www.slideshare.net/niena7/learning-theory-by-ausubel

          

 References

Cooper, S. (2000). Meaningful Verbal Learning Subsumption Theory.  In Theories of Learning in      
     Educational Psychology.  Retrieved from http://www.lifecircles-inc.com/learningtheories/
     constructivism/ausubel.html

Culatta, R. (2013). Subsumption theor (David Ausubel). In Instructional Design.  Retrieved from    

     http://www.instructionaldesign.org/index.html.

Hannum, W. (2014). David Ausubel's Theory.  In Learning Theory,  Retrieved from   

     http://www.theoryfundamentals.com/ausubel.htm.

Hannum, W. (2015). David Ausubel's Theory. In Learning Theory Fundamentals.  Retrieved from 

     http://www.theoryfundamentalscom/ausubel.htm.

Harasim, L. (2012).  Learning theory and online technologies (p. 47).  New York, NY: Routledge..

Pappas, C. (2015). Instructional design models and theories: Subsumption theory.  In eLearning 

     Industry.  Retrieved from http://elearningindustry.com/subsumption-theory.

Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction

Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction
By: William Campf

Robert M. Gagne (1916-2002) was an American Psychologist who was concerned with instruction.  In the beginning of his career he was employed by the US military concerned with training air force members. 

In many ways his career was shaped by a shift in technology and learning theories. Within his life cutting edge learning research transitioned away from behaviorism toward cognitivist learning theory.  The invention of MRI’s and brain scans allowed an internal look at the active brain, and this new science led to advancements from Lev Vygotsky and his theories of brain Schema. Gagne continued to use some behaviorist vocabulary he still refers to stimuli and learning outcomes (response). 

Gagne felt that for learning to take place many stimuli would have to be controlled, and the steps for training or learning could be broken down into 9 standard steps that would work for all students provided that specific conditions for learning outcomes were accounted for.   The following steps developed by Gagne lead to positive learning outcomes.

1. Gain attention- This should involve a stimulus of some type to create a felt need to engage with the material.

2. Inform learners of objectives- This lets the learner know what they should be able to do after learning the material.

3. Stimulate recall- Remind students of what has been learned previously, it is best when this activity is student led with teacher assistance.

4. Present the stimulus-  This is also known as present the content.  The instructor provides an example, model, or reading. 

5. Provide “learning guidance”-The teacher works to guide the students through the content, and works to make sure that this new information is incorporated into long term memory. 

6. Elicit performance (practice)- Students complete an activity to display their abilities with this new skill.

7. Provide feedback- Instructor tells the student how they did with the new skill, and offers guidance for improvement. 

8. Assess performance- The assessment can be completed through portfolios, performances, or projects.

9. Enhance retention and transfer to the job-  Automaticity and fluency can be gained by repeating steps 5,6, and 7 so that the learner is able to take this new information and apply it to novel situations.   

Family Tree

Gagne’s 9 events falls under the cognitivist umbrella, more specifically Gagne was interested in cognitive information processing (CIP), as well as theory of instruction.  Gagne’s work represents a shift from stimulus response thinking of a black box model, to thinking of the mind as a computer that would input data and output learning.

Reflecting on Gagne’s work with the Air Force, medical training comes to mind when thinking about the application of Gagne’s 9 events theory.  Gagne’s work transfers well to technical simulations, and the achievement of concrete skills such that you might learn in a career or technical school.

An example of Gagne's 9 events in a classroom

• The teacher states that the dummy has stopped breathing and has no heartbeat (1. present the stimulus).  

• The teacher will state that by the end of this learning session the students will know how to save a life through CPR (2. State objective).  

• The teacher will ask what the students already know needs to be done to complete CPR (3. Access Prior Learning)

• The teacher will present the content of how to appropriately complete CPR (4. Present the stimulus) 

• Provide access to a dummy simulating an unresponsive victim.  Guide the student through the process of CPR (5. Provide learning guidance.)

• Have the students work independently on resussatating the dummy (6 practice)

• Provide feedback on how to improve approach (7 provide feedback)

• Have students work CPR on a dummy simulating from the point of finding an unresponsive victim, and calling for help.  Give a final assessment though a checklist.  (8. Assess performance)

• Enhance retention by repeating the task every week for a month (9 enhancing retention and transfer).
  
  
  Links
  University of Florida Education professor breaking down the 9 events.
  http://citt.ufl.edu/tools/gagnes-9-events-of-instruction/
  
  Don Clark has a blog based on instructional design and Gagne's 9 events.
  http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/learning/id/nine_step_id.html
  
  This website gives a concise overview of the work of Gagne.
  http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/conditions-learning.html
   

  Fast forward the following video to the 4:40 mark to learn about the 9 events in action.

 

References

Clark, D. [Table]. Retrieved from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/learning/id/nine_step_id.html

Harasim, L. (2012). Learning theory and online technology (p. 191). New York, NY: Routledge. 

Sanford, T. (2013, October 24). Retrieved October 12, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOIGhyiCwpU

Wikipedia. (2012). Gagne [Photograph]. 

Lateral Thinking-Kelli Schlueter

Lateral Thinking

(Kelli Schlueter)

Family Tree    

     Lateral thinking is a theory that was developed by Edward De Bono. Lateral Thinking belongs to the theoretical school of cognitivism. Cognitivism focuses on how the brain stores and accesses information. “Cognitive learning theory was concerned with the mental processes…”  (Harasim, 2012, p.47).

What is Lateral Thinking?

     Most simply put, Lateral Thinking is thinking outside the box. De Bono encourages people to think of new and different solutions to problems. He claims that the brain organizes information into patterns. “Our brains are highly developed pattern-recognition machines, and thus process this information into a handful of recognizable patterns.  Over time, these patterns form into dominant neural pathways that we tend to resort to automatically.  If left unchecked, the brain’s pattern forming tendency discourages creativity because thinking is instead channeled down dominant pathway” (Turner, 2012). De Bono says that to encourage creative thinking, people should challenge these dominant pathways. What might seem like the most logical answer is not always the best or most creative answer.  Even though a problem may seem like it has an obvious solution, that doesn’t mean that there are not many different possible solutions.

     De Bono also states that creative thinking is something that can be learned. It is a skill that people can practice and improve upon. De Bono provides seven tools to help people become more creative lateral thinkers.

1.    Alternatives: Use concepts to breed new ideas.

2.    Focus: Sharpen or change your focus to improve your creative efforts.

3.    Challenge: Break free from the limits of accepted ways of operating.

4.    Random Entry: Use unconnected input to open new lines of thinking.

5.    Provocation: Move from a provocative statement to useful ideas.

6.    Harvesting: Select the best of early ideas and shape them into useable approaches.

7.    Treatment of Ideas: Develop ideas and shape them to fit an organization or situation.

(http://www.ideaconnection.com/thinking-methods/lateral-thinking-00012.html)

(Image From: http://www.personalconsultancysolutions.co.uk/Creativity-And-Innovation/Lateral-Thinking-Training.html)

Listen to Edward De Bono

     Edward De Bono speaks on Lateral Thinking in the following video:

Edward de Bono- discussesLateral Thinking

Example

       “The following anecdote is provided by De Bono (1967). A merchant who owes money to a money lender agrees to settle the debt based upon the choice of two stones (one black, one white) from a money bag. If his daughter chooses the white stone, the debt is canceled; if she picks the black stone, the moneylender gets the merchant's daughter. However, the moneylender "fixes" the outcome by putting two black stones in the bag. The daughter sees this and when she picks a stone out of the bag, immediately drops it onto the path full of other stones. She then points out that the stone she picked must have been the opposite color of the one remaining in the bag. Unwilling to be unveiled as dishonest, the moneylender must agree and cancel the debt. The daughter has solved an intractable problem through the use of lateral thinking.” (Instructionaldesign.org )

     As an educator, you can apply the idea of lateral thinking in the classroom. Lateral thinking gives students the freedom to create answers and solutions that are unique and not obvious. It is the teacher’s role to encourage his/her students to break away from the easiest solution and to look for the more obscure. Lateral thinking can be encouraged by giving students problems to solve and having them come up with an idea of an invention to solve that problem. Giving students open ended questions, or problem based learning lessons will help students to challenge their thinking.

Citation:

Edward De Bono Lateral Thinking Training. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2015, from http://www.personalconsultancysolutions.co.uk/Creativity-And-Innovation/Lateral-Thinking-Training.html

Harasim, L. (2012). Cognitivist Learning Theory. In Learning Theory and Online Technologies. New York, NY: Routledge.

Lateral Thinking. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2015 From http://www.ideaconnection.com/thinking-methods/lateral-thinking-00012.html

Lateral Thinking (DeBono). (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2015, from http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/lateral-thinking.html

Turner, T. (2012, June 15). Lateral Thinking by Edward De Bono- Creative Leader. Retrieved October 12, 2015. From http://www.creativeleader.com/lateral-thinking/

Component Display Theory - Mindy Schlueter

Component Display Theory

Family Tree of Display component Theory

          Display Component Theory falls in the family of Cognitivism. Cognitivism deals with the brains ability to process information and transfer learning from short to long-term memory. In the classroom, lessons are structured to maintain attention and aid in organization. Teachers are there to be the instructional designer. See more information on Cognitivism click here.

The Basic Principles of Display Component Theory

          The Display Component Theory, developed by David Merrill, deals with the instruction of individual concepts or ideas. It separates content from instructional strategy (Castillo). The process by which content is taught is added after the fact after the learning strategies and desired outcomes are decided. Component Display Theory states that optimal instruction will include multiple forms of information presentation. 

          The theory does not disregard content; more creates a plan for the development of instruction (Castillo). Identified were the “Primary Presentation Forms” which are expository generality, expository insistence, inquisitor generality, and inquisitor instance (Castillo). These Primary Presentation Forms led to the development of the Performance Content Matrix. It is used to determine what will be addressed by instruction. Additional information and for more details on how the matrix was established and a more indepth look at the stages, click here.

Image obtained from kulevven.be

Example of Model

    Information should be presented in the way you want students to use it. For example, if you want students to memorize information, present it to them on flashcards. If you want students to apply knowledge show it to them with application examples.  

Merill Explaining his Component Display Theory

Merrill explains more on the Component Design Theory. Listen to Merrill speak on Component Design Theory in the lecture here.

References

Castillo, A. (n.d). Component Display Theory. Retrieved from https://kuedtech2.pbworks.com/f/Merrill.pdf

Wikipedia, (2015). Cognitivism (psychology). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitivism_(psychology)

Image

https://www2.kuleuven.be/tiki/tiki-pagehistory.php?page=Component+Display+Theory&diff=10