THEORY:
In my attempts to find a comprehensive definition to an educational theory, Wikipedia had a nice one! Here it is:
Learning theories are conceptual frameworks describing how information is absorbed, processed, and retained during learning. Cognitive, emotional, and environmental influences, as well as prior experience, all play a part in how understanding, or a world view, is acquired or changed, and knowledge and skills retained.
retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_theory_(education)
and...here is a nice definition of the word theory: (I have highlighted the definition that I will work from in this exercise)
theory
[ ˈTHēərē, ˈTHi(ə)rē ] noun
noun: theory · plural noun: theories
- a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained:"Darwin's theory of evolution"
- a set of principles on which the practice of an activity is based:"a theory of education"
- an idea used to account for a situation or justify a course of action:"my theory would be that the place has been seriously mismanaged"
- a collection of propositions to illustrate the principles of a subject.
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FACTS:
A fact is an association between two things. A fact can only be recalled - they have no specific application.
Concrete facts are those that you can make sense. (Fire trucks are red) The initial presentation should provide the student with experience of the objects of the fact. (let each learner see what red looks like)
Abstract facts cannot be observed or experienced. The designer should attempt to find a concrete representation of the fact. If the fact is that Indianapolis is the capitol of Indiana, a map would form a concrete representation of the fact.
Strategies for learning facts are rehearsal/practice( repeating over and over or answering questions related to the fact), elaboration (answering questions as to why the fact is true or explaining relevant information about the fact) and developing mnemonic (associating a word or phrase to remember facts).
(Morrison et al, pp.142-143)
CONCEPTS:
A concept is a category used to group similar ideas or things to organize knowledge. Concepts are representations that reflect the structure of the real world.
Performance for a concept can be either recall (stating its definition) or application (identifying new examples of the concept).
Recommended recall for concepts are the same as for facts: repetition, rehearsal, review and mnemonics.
Instructional strategies would be the same as facts (rehearsal/practice, menemonics) if the objective is to simply remember the concept.
Elaborative interrogation approach would also work (answering questions) or identifying examples that conforms the learners interpretation.
Integrative strategies might have the leaners generate examples and non examples in a categorization strategy or describe similarities and differences.
Organizational strategies help the learner transform new information into a more easily remembered form by having the learner classify new examples.
Facts and concepts fit into theory (the supposition of a system of ideas intended to explain something) as they are the ways of explaining the theory or idea. The facts or concepts are the way to the theory behind them. Teaching a theory (the bigger picture) is broken down by teaching the facts and concepts behind the theory.
The four generative strategies listed in Morrison et al (pp139-140) are recall, integration (combining existing knowledge with new information), organization (analyzing, outlining and categorizing to identify how new ideas relate to existing ideas) and elaboration (adding learners ideas or existing knowledge to new ideas).
Theories, in general, are abstract facts that form an idea. The instructional strategy for abstract facts is to find a concrete representation of it. I think that finding examples of where a theory could fit into a circumstance that is real and viable would be a good strategy. Theories could also be a grouping of similar ideas (concept) and the instructional strategies for concepts could include all four of the generative strategies, depending on the nature of the theory.
Recall of the idea of the theory itself would be sufficient as a basic tool to remember the concept of the theory. At the elaboration level, learners could compile knowledge and their own ideas to create a more full and integrative picture of the theory that would be retained as learned ideas as the learner would be involved in critical thought and personal interrelation with the process. Powerful transformation happens at that level, in my mind.
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