I’ve been thinking a lot more and listening to other people’s comments about Direct Learning software, including comments from ISVs and members of the Tablet PC community. I appreciate the feedback and encouragement.
The term seems to have enough merit to refine my earlier comments. Please let me know if the following helps in developing new education software intended to increase learning. In the interim, I’ll get my education software evaluation checklist ready for release.
Three Types of Learning
Independent education software developers offer three types of learning programs: Direct Learning, Directed Learning, and Direct Instruction. These programs differ by the amount of mediation (prompts, directions) required for a learner to use the program successfully.
I want to expand the definition of Direct Learning and its use in software by comparing it with Directed Learning and Direct Instruction software programs. All three types of software offer ways for a person to learn something through more or less amounts of mediation by examples or other prompts.
For software developers, the main difference between these types of learning is how you engineer the presentation of the content offered by your program. Yes, you may assume that learning something you specify is engineered, is a mechanical process.
Learning
Meanings for the word learning assume that a problem exists and that a person must acquire and use identifiable, countable skills to solve that problem.
In its simplest form, teachers use the word learning and the term to learn to mean that someone demonstrates (shows, recites, writes) something to solve a problem in an acceptable or conventional way.
More technically stated, the learner meets criterion for successfully solving a problem or in other ways performing a task.
Direct Learning
In earlier posts, I suggested that Direct Learning software gives no more than three examples before someone can solve problems offered in a software program.
In watching people use Loren’s MathPractice software, I realized that his format lets people solve problems without additional mediation by a person or by more examples or directions. Users from age 3 years old and older almost immediately start solving problems presented by the software.
Interestingly, most parents and teachers who have heard the term accept Direct Learning as a fair description of what happens with a novice MathPractice user.
Thus, the term Direct Learning seems to distinguish MathPractice and similar software from learning and instruction with other kinds of education software programs.
Directed Learning
Directed Learning software requires more mediation (problem solving examples, prompts, direction, explanations) than Direct Learning or Direct Instruction software. It presents images, problems, or information without specifying what is most important for any particular purpose.
Teachers who use discovery learning themes direct a learner with hints without focusing on a specific answer or process to obtain an answer. These lessons are like playing the game hide-and-seek, 20 Questions, or reading a mystery novel.
For example, a class syllabus distributed by a professor directs students to topics and sources of information. Students know to read these sources, but do not necessarily know before the professor says specifically which information is most important for them to remember or “learn.” Sometimes they do not find these specifics until they take a test on the material.
In a similar way, Directed Learning software may show fascinating images of a nebula, but students will use additional prompts to understand what they see.
Direct Instruction
Direct Instruction software gives priority to specifying mediation (prompts) that a learner repeats. It follows the principle I-say; you-say-what-I-say, or I-write; you-write-what-I-write. Software for learning a language uses this pattern, as well as for other school content.
For example, a software developer inserts in a program the prompt, “Write ‘blue’” and a place for the user to write the word. The software user writes “’blue’ in that place.
Carl Bereiter and Siegfried Engelmann in the mid-1960s, then Englemann and Wes Becker until a few years ago lead teams that codified Direct Instruction for home teaching and classroom use. Education software developers may want to adapt these codes to their programs.
Other Types of Learning
Some people may rightfully argue that other types of learning occur and that other conventional ways exist to classify learning and instruction. They likely consider mediation less important than in this taxonomy. They offer fair, and appropriate points.
However, software developers may find few if any more useful ways to group educational software by learning efficiency.
When a developer’s purpose is to reduce learner trial and error behavior to a minimum by controlling the mediation needed to complete problems in a program, then, by definition, Direct Learning and Direct Instruction software appear most relevant. When mediation and the amount of trial and error behavior are not paramount, then consider Directed Learning.
Writing Direct Learning Software
Writing Direct Learning software requires the programmer to use straight-line logic to analyze the problem presentation process (image sequence), the content (astronomy, English, mathematics), and to blend these two analyses into a single step-by-step offer of a problem that allows a correct answer.
Conclusion
The more a developer can specify the amount of mediation to acquire a specific set of skills a learner may develop (or solve problems), the clearer decision a parent or teacher may make about offering that program for a student to use.