September 2009
4 posts
Structural Knowledge
Structural knowledge is the organized accumulation of the things which you know and the connections between them. A person who can readily spit out random facts about disparate ideas would not be said to have a structural knowledge of the subject, but if you can see how a new concept you are learning about fits into the broader context of the discipline, particularly your knowledge thereof, then...
Prior knowledge
If the basis for learning is being able to fit new concepts/ideas into one’s consciousness based on some prior knowledge, as cognitive theory suggests, then we have to be able to define “prior knowledge.” This is simply another way of saying “what we already know.” Simply put, if you think of the brain like a computer, prior knowledge represents the information...
Learning style = teaching style?
Upon reflection, I can see that my learning style definitely impacts my teaching style. When teach CHGN 126 lab I would often demonstrate skills that the students would need for the day’s lab before them, then have them return to their bench and practice while I walked around and gave pointers. For example, when they had to learn titrations I showed them an example titration, then had them put...
My learning style
I first heard of the concept of different learning styles during a three day ACA kayak instructor’s course. We were asked to think of the 4 types of learners in Kolb’s model in terms of how we would teach kayak skills like paddling and skulling, but the concept is valid for anyone in any situation. I think my learning style could best be described as a combination of “active experimentation” and...