In Order to Learn How the Sequence of Topics Influences Learning

by Ritter, Frank E.; Nerb, Josef; Lehtinen, Erno; O'Shea, Timothy M.

• ISBN13: 9780195178845
• ISBN10: 019517884X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-07-30
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Order affects the results you get: Different orders of presenting material can lead to qualitatively and quantitatively different learning outcomes. These differences occur in both natural and artificial learning systems. In Order to Learn shows how order effects are crucial in human learning,instructional design, machine learning, and both symbolic and connectionist cognitive models. Each chapter explains a different aspect of how the order in which material is presented can strongly influence what is learned by humans and theoretical models of learning in a variety of domains. Inaddition to data, models are provided that predict and describe order effects and analyze how and when they will occur. The introductory and concluding chapters compile suggestions for improving learning through better sequences of learning materials, including how to take advantage of order effectsthat encourage learning and how to avoid order effects that discourage learning. Each chapter also highlights questions that may inspire further research. Taken together, these chapters show how order effects in different areas can and do inform each other. In Order to Learn will be of interest toresearchers and students in cognitive science, education, machine learning.

Author Biography

Frank Ritter helped start the College of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State, and is affiliated with the psychology, computer science and engineering departments. He also helped start the International Conference on Cognitive Modeling and the tutorial series at the Cognitive Science Conference. He was a Fulbright Scholar at the Technische Universitat Chemnitz in 2005.
Josef Nerb is Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Education in Freiburg, Germany, where he also serves as a Vice Dean for teaching and learning. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Freiburg and did a post-doc at the University of Waterloo, Canada, supported by an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation fellowship.
Erno Lehtinen is Vice rector and former Dean of the School of Education at Turku University, where he is a professor of education. He is a past president of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI).
Tim O'Shea is the Principal (President) of the University of Edinburgh. Previously he was Master of Birkbeck College, and professor of information technology and education at the Open University.

Table of Contents

Preface

Foreword

Introductory Chapters

Call to order: How and why sequences influence learning

Order is the first step to mastery

Machine learning: The necessity of order (is order in order?)

Rules of Order: Process models of human learning

Order out of chaos: Order in connectionist models

Putting things in order: Collecting and analyzing data on learning

Fundamental explanations of order: Example models

An example order for Cognitive skill acquisition

An ordered Chaos: Sequences and mental structures

Learning in order: Steps of acquiring the concept of the day/night cycle

Timing is in order: Modeling order effects in the learning of information

The effects of order: A model of transfer and critiquing

Getting in and out of order: Techniques and examples from education and instructional design

Getting out of order: Avoiding order effects through instruction

Order or no order: System vs. learner control in sequencing simulation-based discovery learning

Making your own order: Order effects in system- and user-controlled settings for learning and problem solving

Conclusions

All is in order

Epilogue: Let's Educate

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