Learning Patterns

1996 saw the emergence of a community interested in applying patterns to learning, particularly learning about objects.

Some of the people involved are:

MaryLynnManns
HelenSharp?
MaximoPrieto?
PhilMcLaughlin?
MaheshDodani?
JoeBergin

Here are the patterns we have collected:

To my mind these are the opposite. I am of the PiecemealLearning?/DistributedControl? school of education. I want to give my learners tools for learning.

The PatternsForTeaching camp is more concerned with "optimizing" what the teacher does. Does the lecture come before the lab? Do you have a second lecture after the lab?

I don't think this focus on the teacher really matters. Different people learn differently. They should have different tools and strategies. The teacher should be there as a learning consultant to notice when a learner doesn't have a tool they need or isn't using a tool they already have.

End of soapbox. --KentBeck

Actually putting the emphasis on the student is the whole point of most of the PedagogicalPatterns developed by this group of people. The intent here is to help the novice instructor (and others) develop ways to reach diverse sets of students effectively. --JoeBergin

You are right, there is teaching and teaching: one is teaching to the student (as described in PatternsForTeaching), and one is learning with the student (as, according to what I have heard, practiced by you). The latter of course is preferable, but sometimes not possible, for example when you have to lecture to a large audience or when teaching through a book. --FalkBruegmann

I'm a pattern newbie, but it strikes me that the first thing to do is to try to define a WhyWritePatternsPattern --MartinCosgrave

I'm a pattern newbie also, but a bit stuck as to where to start! - ChelseyG