So there’s a simple standard model of learning based around the idea of a scaffold.
In essence, the student gains an appreciation of the overarching structure of an area of knowledge, and then hangs detail onto that structure as it is mastered. It stems broadly from cognitive theories – which makes me think I’ve probably borrowed it from Graham Gibbs at some point.
It’s a reason why we have course descriptions, and why we refer back to end goals and broader ideas when we introduce new tools and concepts. It’s a reason why we have threshold concepts – elements that need to be mastered before further learning can be attached. And it’s a reason why the courses we design and deliver tend to be comprehensible in overall structure and content.
What if we took that structure away? What if we just presented students with short, discrete, blobs of learning without an explicit attempt to tie it to anything larger. What if the short, discrete, blobs of learning didn’t add up to anything?
