Richard Clark of USC, at an ISPI conference, cited research by Richard Snow to indicate that people’s preferred learning styles actually can work against learning. For example, if you’re already knowledgeable about some field, you tend to prefer well-organized, concentrated information about that field… but Snow’s research suggests you’ll learn better in a less structured, free-form environment.

Conversely, novices to a field, who tend to prefer that free exploration, will do better with more structure.

Thalheimer has valiantly tried to lay to rest a similar deathless bundle of flapdoodle: the percentage of stuff we remember by doing (versus seeing, hearing, reading). Here’s a link to a recent post that connects in turn to his initial one: http://www.willatworklearning.com/2006/12/another_guru_sh.html.

I think Jennifer has a very valid point, though, about us wanting a panacea – it provides us with sense of security.

Like the iPhone… this week’s Globe and Mail included a couple of delightful articles from Ian Brown about people lining up outside Manhattan stores to await the product release. Quoting some members of the line-up, Mr. Brown suggests the source of the fantasy that is (this week) the iPhone:

” ‘Do you think the iPhone’s like a mother?’ someone said. ‘You know, something that takes care of all your needs, comfort, pleasure …’
‘It’s more like having a dream wife. Everything you want in a wife. Except it’s also a great mobile device.’ It wasn’t clear if that made it better, or worse.”

Brown concludes “It was the ancient longing for the one thing that will do it all. The Holy Grail and the peace that passeth all understanding come to mind.” (Globe and Mail, Saturday, June 30th–link below)

This ‘ancient longing’ also governs a lot of the rhetoric (spoken and unspoken) around the web in general, and e-learning specifically.

Aren’t you glad that we humans and the way we think still eludes such easy solutions?

Link to G&M article: (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/freeheadlines/LAC/20070630/IPHONE30/international/International

(Happy Birthday to my fellow Canadians… as I was writing this, the Snowbird planes flew by my window in formation… very exciting to watch!)

Thanks for the reference to the other models, Clark, which I’ll have to review.

Multiple means of representation follows from Spiro’s Cognitive Flexibility theory (great likelihood of comprehension, activation for a relevant problem, and matching a framework to solution).

Multiple means of engagement: tapping into Keller’s ARCS model (and my own work on engagement).

My only quibble is with multiple means of expression: that depends on the degree of transfer being sought. If it’s specific, e.g. chemical hazard identification, I want one means of expression: correctly identifying the toxic material found, across multiple contexts but only one ‘right answer’! If it’s broad, e.g. ‘justice’, then I’m happy to have it expressed in multiple ways.