Patterns
Christopher Alexander’s work on pattern languages provides a framework for thinking about the design of houses. We believe the same thing is needed for the design of educational products. A pattern language is like grammar–each part contains different ways to define how we think about education. Funderstanding uses a pattern language to provide a structure to our design. Within this structure, we use the pattern language to express ourselves in a way that’s easily understood by others. The major components of our grammar are outlined below.
We apply the “grammatical rules” of our pattern language by starting with the broader issues and working our way down to the specifics. For example, when we confront a new challenge, we tackle the large groups first. Once we understand how the large groups operate, we determine what components of knowledge management are appropriate for them. Then we determine what needs to be done to seed a community of practice. Next we select the relevant learning styles. We don’t always use all the components detailed below; however, we use some of them on every project. Because this process is a work-in-progress, we welcome your comments on it.
- Large groups
- Knowledge management
- User-contributed content
- Intelligent agents
- Expert view
- Small groups
- Communities of practice
- Multiple perspectives
- Individual learning styles
- Just-in-time
- Simulation
- Tutorial
- Assessment
- Intrapersonal skills
- Brain-based learning
- Cognitive psychology
- Emotional Intelligence
- Self-motivation
- Mood management
- Self-awareness
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