first principles of instruction

I found this reading to be interesting and salient. I haven't seen learning broken down in steps or principles quite like this, but it made sense and there were a few pieces that I really liked.

One note to make right at the start is that I don't necessarily disagree with problem solving being motivating, but I think there is more to it than just that else why is math not everyone's favorite subject, instead of one of their least?

I really like that reflection is highlighted, personally I think this is one of the most regularly overlooked principles of learning. Being able to reflect on and have to discuss and defend a new skill is key to mastery.

I also felt that the creation piece is important and underutilized. Being able to invent and explore helps the learner fully develop skills in ways that the traditional lecture model never allows for.

I am curious with the activation phase about misconceptions with previous understandings. I believe that this can be detrimental to learning in that if misconceptions are not dealt with, learners will go back to prior knowledge and won't accept the new information. What happens to a learner when new information directly conflicts with what they believe? How is this dealt with? There isn't any information in the text about how to handle this.

The demonstration phase is a great opportunity for learners to gain experience. This phase really can't be overstated, this is where skills are developed and mistakes are made. This needs to be a safe arena where learners feel comfortable making mistakes and learning from them. The reading stated that

feedback has long been recognized as the most important form of learner guidance.

and that making errors is a natural consequence of problem solving and that most learners learn from their mistakes. Key to this is helping them recognize, recover, and avoid the error in the future.

Lots of great applicable stuff from this reading.