Elaboration Theory
LaVesca Love-Moore
National University
EDT 605 Education Theory & Technology
February 15, 2015
Elaborate
on what you are teaching-go from easy to harder Simple to complex
The
Elaboration Theory elaborates on what you are teaching going from easy to
harder or simple to complex. “Elaboration Theory is an instructional design
theory that argues that content to be learned should be organized from simple
to complex order, while providing a meaningful context in which subsequent
ideas can be integrated.” http://www.learning-theories.com/elaboration-theory-reigeluth.html Elaboration Theory was designed to help select and sequence content to improve
completion of learning goals.
Charles Reigeluth and his colleagues
created the elaboration theory in the late 1970s. Reigeluth intended it to be
used for medium to complex cognitive and psychomotor learning.
Principles
“Elaboration theory major strategy components (Reigeluth, 1979;
Reigeluth & Stein, 1993; Wilson & Cole, 1993)
- Organizing Course Structure: An elaborative sequence: the organizing structure may
be one of three types: conceptual, procedural, or theoretical.
- Simple to complex: choose an
epitome, which contains simplest and
most fundamental ideas, in the first lesson, and then add elaborations in
subsequent lessons.
- Within-lesson sequence: general to detailed, simple to complex, abstract to concrete.
- Summarizers are content reviews.
- Synthesizers: they are
presentation devices designed to help the learner integrate content
elements into a meaningful whole and assimilate them into prior knowledge.
- Analogies relate the content to learners' prior knowledge.
- Cognitive strategies: variety of cues--pictures, diagrams, mnemonics,
etc.--can trigger cognitive strategies needed for appropriate processing
of material.
- Learner control: Learners are encouraged to exercise control over both
content and instructional strategy. Clear labeling and separation of
strategy components facilitates effective learner control of those
components.
Two fundamental types of
sequencing strategies in the elaboration theory
- Topical Sequencing: a topic or task is taught to whatever
depth of understanding or competence is required before moving to the next
one.
- Spiral Sequencing: the
learner’s mater a topic or task gradually in several passes, i.e. learning
the basics of one topic, then another, then another before returning to learn
more about each topics.” www.personal.psu.edu/wxh139/elaborate.htm
Family Tree
Main Learning Theory- Cognitivisim,
add to prior knowledge, simple to complex, support the learner and build on what
they already know
Embedded Learning Theory
Chunking or
scaffolding, conceptual, procedural, theoretical
Instructional Model
The
general characteristics are conceptual elaboration sequence, theoretical
elaboration sequence, simplify conditions sequence.
Major Approaches in Elaboration Theory
Conceptual
elaboration sequence for teaching new concepts starting at a broader view, erratical
elaboration, Simplifying conditions
Classroom example
The
elaboration theory can be used for any subject that the students have knowledge
of but need to expand. A practical example would be a third grade class during
math. The students already know how to add, subtract and multiply. The teacher
is going to begin teaching the students how to divide. The students use their
previous knowledge of multiplication to solve the division problems once the
teacher teaches them the basic steps of division.
Additional Links
Reigeluth’s
Elaboration Theory
Elaboration
Theory
EDUC
682: Elaboration Theory
Elaboration
Theory PowerPoint Presentation
References
Indiana
University (May 10, 2005). Journey Toward Excellence, Retrieved February 15,
2015, from, http://www.indiana.edu/~syschang/decatur/bios/biographies.html
Design
Theory & Models (2015). Elaboration Theory (Reigeluth), Retrieved February
12, 2015, from, http://www.learning-theories.com/elaboration-theory-reigeluth.html
Reigeluths
Elaboration Theory, Retrieved February 14, 2015, from, www.personal.psu.edu/wxh139/elaborate.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment