Free Coaching Resources - Book Reviews
"Engines for
Education"
By Roger C. Schank
and Chip Cleary
(Lawrence Erlbaum Associates,
Hillsdale, New Jersey, 1995, ISBN 0-80581944-4)
Reviewed by
Matt M. Starcevich, Ph.D.
The purpose of this book is to raise
our consciousness about the changes needed in our education system - about what is wrong
with our education system and how to improve it. By building the right computer systems,
we can deliver expert resources as students need them and that can react to students'
decisions.
Our organization, like many of the readers, is not concerned with education systems. Our
focus is on working with adults to improve their effectiveness. So why should we be
concerned about this book? I found the book relevant for two reasons.
First, if the changes illustrated here are implemented in our school systems, we will
eventually be working with learners who demand similar approaches to acquiring the
competencies needed by an adult. We will be required to utilized interactive computer
technology as part of our approach.
Second, the software described was created at Northwestern University's Institute For
Learning Science (ILS), established in 1989 with major funding support from Andersen
Consulting. Support from one of the top management consulting firms is another indication
to me why those of us working with the adult learner need to develop our skills in
utilizing interactive computer technology.
One example of adult training software was the conversion of Andersen Consulting's
Business Practices School, with an annual attendance of 4,000 consultants, into an
interactive computer-based training course. This conversion halved the time the course
required while improving the quality. This change has not only saved Andersen over $10
million in travel, lodging, teaching, and billable time lost but, has helped business
lessons to be delivered at a more individual level. By replacing the lecture-based
instruction with educational software that gives students challenging goals and allows
them to control their learning, Andersen has enabled its consultants to learn the
underlying information more thoroughly and retain it better. Some pretty compelling
arguments.
The authors identify the top ten mistakes in education:
| 1. |
Schools
act as if learning can be disassociated from doing. There really is not learning without
doing. |
| 2. |
Schools
believe they have the job of assessment as part of their natural role. Schools must
concentrate on learning and teaching not testing and comparing. |
| 3. |
Schools
believe they have an obligation to create standard curricula. Why should everyone know the
same stuff? |
| 4. |
Teachers
believe they need to tell students what they think is important to know. Teachers should
help students figure out how to do stuff the students actually want to do. |
| 5. |
Schools
believe instruction can be independent of motivation for actual use. We really have to get
over the idea that some stuff is just worth knowing even if you never do anything with it.
|
| 6. |
Schools
believe studying is an important part of learning. Practice is an important part of
learning not studying. |
| 7. |
Schools
believe that grading according to age group is an intrinsic part of the organization of a
school. Such comparisons cause many a child to have terrible confidence problems. |
| 8. |
Schools
believe children will accomplish things only by have grades to strive for. |
| 9. |
Schools
believe discipline is an inherent part of learning. It does not make them learn. |
| 10. |
Schools
believe students have a basic interest in learning whatever schools decide to teach them. |
The basic tenant of
this book is that high-quality software could help alleviate these problems and makes the
necessary changes possible. The solution rests with technology that allows students to
learn naturally aided by one-on-one instruction. The computer has the power to change all
this. A positive and clear guide for reform is possible by focusing on two mottoes:
An interest is a
terrible thing to waste, and,
Students must be in control of their own learning.
To take advantage of students' natural learning abilities, we must provide an environment
that supports the learning waterfall. This means that students must be allowed to pursue
goals that interest them. And it means students must be allowed to try things and fail. It
also means students must be given answers only after they have generated questions. To
leverage the process of natural learning, we must offer answers on an as needed basis.
Instead of making the student conform to a schedule of instruction, we must make the
schedule of instruction conform to the student. Computer technology can make
individualized attention a real possibility.
The remainder of the book takes the reader through detailed examples of computer software,
albeit mainly for students, of each of the five different teaching architectures, they
have developed:
Simulation-Based Learning by Doing
Incidental Learning
Learning by Reflection
Case-Based Teaching
Learning by Exploring.
The authors have learned a core set of eight principles, which we believe are applicable
to adults, abouthow to design quality educational software:
| 1. |
Learn By
Doing: Learning should center on a task. |
| 2. |
Problems,
Then Instructions. |
| 3. |
Tell Good
Stories. |
| 4. |
Power to
the Students: Students should be in control of the educational process. |
| 5. |
Provide A
Safe Place To Fail. |
| 6. |
Navigation
to Answers: Software that instructs but does not let students ask questions removes
control from students' hands. |
| 7. |
The
Software is the Test: As long as the program can monitor what the student has been doing,
no test is necessary. |
| 8. |
Find the
Fun: Learning should be fun. An instructional designer's single most important job is to
make learning fun. |
In keeping with their beliefs, this material is available on a computer readable
hypermedia "text" on CD-ROM, because someday computerized text will all but
eliminate the niche for paper products.
Although this may not be a book for everyone, the ideas are very pertinent for those who
work in the training and development profession. The book would have been more valuable
with adult based examples but the potential can be grasped if the reader will just use
their imagination. For the reader who doesn't want to read the entire book, we hope this
summary will excite your imagination to pursue
further study and development of your own competencies in computer based instruction. This
technology cannot be ignored.
Order today
 |
