Questions On Learning a Challenging, Process-Based Subject


I am still working on a general theory of education. This is a series of questions about learning styles in a particular kind of class. Some courses are answer based. Math classes are like that. 2 + 2 = 4. Other classes are solution based. What should be the design of the new city center? There are usually lots of solutions and solutions are rated on a scale of good to bad. I think these subjects are the hardest to learn. (I like teaching them though and that may be where my future lies.) Familiar subjects are Computer Programming, Architecture, Design Courses, the games of Bridge or Chess.) The subject will have a couple of familiar themes, a process orientation and a lot of, often unrelated, facts. The process will be a series of steps you go through to reach the goal. The facts help you make decisions, provide rules or structure, or are tools or skills you need.

Without reading further, how did you do in these types of courses/subjects? What worked best for you when learning them? (Writing trick - first reaction, brain dumps give best gut information, and a really good answer.)





Now I am going to provide three answers. They are the possible divisions I have in my head for presenting this type of material. One of them may match your answer above. However they may also trigger reactions. "This worked too!" "Everybody I know hated this approach!" I would appreciate any insights or reactions, good or bad, for any of the categories.

Separation - Material is broken out into facts. You often find yourself reading a book full of facts with no process to try them on. You then go into lab and try to apply the process to a problem. Homework with memorization, or a study guide with short answers, followed by a lab of some sort.



Integration - You start out with a very small process with very few facts and then slowly expand the scope of the process you are working on. (The 'Hello World' computer program as a mandatory starting point in a programming class.) Complexity of applied facts and process grows with each project.



Immersion - You are dropped into the fiery pits of hell on some project who's scope is overwhelming it seems. You sort of bounce back and force within the morass until things start making sense. After a time you discover you have learned both facts and process.




At one time or another you have probably learned something via all the processes. With that in mind consider the following questions.

Does the size of the class matter? (I can see an immersion project being more challenging with 100 students than with 10)



Does the quality and motivation of a few close friends or fellow students matter? (A couple good lab/study partners can make the 100 student worry above less of a problem.)



Does or did the opportunity of focused interaction with a teacher influence your ability to learn a process based class. (Could you learn it with a bad teacher one on one? With good lab partners can the teacher suck? Can the teacher be hardly accessible? Does a good teacher fuzzy the distinctions between the three presentation styles?)



What background did you bring to the learning environment that helped or hindered you?



In hindsight, how well do you feel the presentation style helped you learn the material? Can you look back and truly see how a different presentation style might have been better?



In hindsight, would a different approach on your part have helped you learn the material better regardless of style?



Thanks for helping me with this!