Showing papers on "Meaningful learning published in 1978"

Advances in Instructional Psychology

Abstract: The contributors to this volume address reasoning and problem solving as fundamental to learning and teaching and to modern literacy. The research on expertise and the development of competence makes it clear that structures of knowledge and cognitive process should be tightly linked throughout education to attain high levels of ability. The longstanding pedagogical assumption that the attainment of useful knowledge proceeds from lower level learning based on the practice of fundamental skills that demand little thought, to higher level competence in which problem solving finally plays an increasing role, is no longer tenable. It is now clear that thinking is not an outcome of basic learning, but is part of the basic acquisition of knowledge and skill. In learning to read, for example, decoding the printed word and understanding simple texts is an act of problem solving, requiring inference and elaboration by the reader. The prevalence of reasoning with information at all levels makes the details of its involvement a fundamental influence on learning and instruction -- a recurring theme in each of the chapters. A rich variety of topics is addressed including: *an analysis of the components of teaching competence *the evolution of a learner's mathematical understanding *the use of causal models for generating scientific explanations *the facilitation of meaningful learning through text illustrations *the competence of children in argumentative interaction that results in conceptual change.

The New Research Focus: An Analysis of the Simulation Game User

Abstract: " From the time that the first business simulation was designed and implemented in a classroom situation, the primary focus of most research efforts has been on justifying the simulation as a meaningful learning tool. Simulation usage is not new to our contemporary educational setting. The business simulation has been around for 25 years or more now. However, it still remains unique with respect to traditional teaching/learning methods. As such, the current research emphasis plods on and on in an attempt to justify simulation gaming as a meaningful adjunct to the educational system. To date, reams of material have poured into various conferences and journals highlighting the educational experience via simulation usage. In light of this research, it is surprising that no acceptable results have been obtained indicating that simulation gaming is a teaching tool superior to any of the normally used, more traditional methods, or an even adequate teaching tool. One simply has to scan the material, examine the research that’s been performed, read the analytical sections of most papers, and view the conclusions to realize that most authors cannot reach valid conclusions as to the results of their studies. One wonders if, in fact, we haven’t been beating our heads against a brick wall for the last 10-20 years trying to measure something that is non-measurable. Even in light of these inconclusive research findings, however, the business simulation has become a very important element within the curriculum of many business schools. "

“Insights into Debriefing Experiential Learning Exercisesâ€

Abstract: When the learning goal is to provide a lively, interesting, and meaningful learning experience that participants will personally internalize, experiential learning provides an excellent learning tool. The goal, however, is not an easy one to achieve. It takes a very well planned exercise to realize the desired goal. Much of the responsibility for reaching the desired goal rests with how the exercise is debriefed. This paper focuses on the debriefing process and the importance of integrating it into all phases of the exercise.