Re: Schema theory

[Tom Herme <therme -at- NVBELL -dot- NET>]

Sella Rush said:

"A Usenet reader asked me to explain my cryptic reference to the schema
theory of learning.  I figure there's probably far more knowledgeable
people on the list than me, so could someone address this?'

"Basically all I know about it is what I said in my post:  give people a
structure on which to hang new knowledge--that is, help people figure
out how to relate new knowledge to what they already know.  One
application of this is to give readers a bare structure of what you're
going to teach them, where you're starting and where you expect to end
up, and then they have a place (or context) to put the new information
you give them."

"I learned about this concept in a (gasp!) college class, and it made so
much sense I've stuck with it.  I'd be interested to hear what other
people think about it--and, of course, a better definition than I've
provided.  Is it universally accepted, or are there disbelievers (and if
so why)."

========================================================

This schema theory has been called by other names, but what is most important is that it
represents best practice in the training and education field, a discipline and
background I've found to be extremely valuable in technical manual writing as well as
Help authoring.

In regards to giving people a structure on which to hang new knowledge or relate the new
to the known, I think we do this all the time when we use examples, comparisons
(similes, metaphors, analogies), etc. to explain something new. What we do is give
people a way to develop context for learning. This is why we provide overviews in
addition to task instructions. People need a context in which to understand the new
things they are doing.

Telling people what you are going to present (teach, instruct, etc.) and the objectives
is also best practice. A simple way to remember this is to: tell them what you are going
to teach them, then teach them, then tell them what you taught them. Of course, the more
feedback you can get from them and the more guided practice they can get from you is
invaluable. In a training/teaching setting this is easier to accomplish. In manuals or
Help systems this is difficult. That, I believe, is why we depend upon usability
studies.

Some things really don't change:  know your audience, know your subject, use your common
sense, and never stop learning yourself.

Hope this helps.


--
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