Showing papers on "Sequence learning published in 1984"

Learning Is a Matter of Style.

Abstract: Trautman examined student achievement in knowledge, compre hension, and application when in structional materials were matched and mismatched to individual styles. His study revealed three important findings: (a) there was no difference between the relative achievement of analytic and global students when they were taught through resources that matched their styles; (b) when ever the instructional materials were matched to the student's identified style, statistically significant academic gains were made; and (c) whenever the materials and the styles were mis matched, achievement fell below that of both matched groups. 1 The implications of this study are far reaching. Subjects, such as mathematics, that a^e analytic and tend to be taught that way may be come difficult for global students who require global instruction to learn easily. Conversely, social studies, which tends to be global, probably should also be taught analytically for students whose cognitive style would be complemented. Youngsters who consistently either do well or poorly in specific subjects may be responding to the ways in which the material is presented rather than to the subjects themselves. It would not be difficult to have teachers instruct in whichever style is "natural" to them, and then to offer an alternative style through either a programmed learning sequence, an in structional package, a Contract Ac tivity Package, or a videotape. An other option is to permit paired teach ers to offer the same topics, one teaching globally and the other ana lytically. If those procedures helped underachieving students to improve and to succeed, they would be much

Learning how to learn: The significance and current status of learning set formation

Abstract: In honor of the memory ofHarry F. Harlow, this paper reviews the current status of learning set formation, the discovery of which represents one ofHarlow's major contributions to behavioral science. Learning set formation or “learning how to learn” refers to the learning of visual and other types of discrimination problems progressively more quickly as a function of training on a series of such problems. The general procedure thatHarlow used, his original learning set finding, and its significance are described first. A brief review of theories of learning set formation follows. Lastly, the attempt to use learning set formation as a tool for studying comparative behavior is discussed.

Variations on active learning

Abstract: Although current theories of memory emphasize the fact that learning is an active process, there is little consensus on the role of active learning. This paper attempts to provide a more precise characterization of active learning in the acquisition of computer skills. The analysis of verbal protocols suggests that active learning varies on at least two dimensions: schema orientation and learning strategy. Schema orientation refers to the type of information the learner is acquiring and varies from relational information to procedural information. Learning strategy describes how the information is acquired. Some people prefer to be internally driven and form their own plans for learning. Others are externally driven and allow the instructional materials to guide their learning. These differences need to be taken into account in describing learning and in designing instructional materials.