Ingredients for a Theory of Instruction.
Abstract
The requirements for a theory of instruction are discussed and summarized in the following list of criteria: a model of the learning process; specification of admissible instructional actions; specification of instructional objectives; a measurement scale that permits costs to be assigned to each of the instructional actions and payoffs to the achievement of instructional objectives. If these four elements can be given a precise interpretation, then in general it is possible to derive optimal instructional strategies. Two examples involving the derivation of optimal strategies are considered. One deals with the development of a computer-assisted instruction program for teaching initial reading in the early grades; the second example deals with learning a foreign-language vocabulary. In both cases, analyses based on control theoretic principles proved to be highly advantageous. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 26, 1972
- Accession Number
- AD0744649
Entities
People
- Richard C. Atkinson
Organizations
- Stanford University