Compulsive Sharing, Part 1

The Conversation Prism by Brian Solis and Jesse Thomas

WHAT IS LEARNING SCIENCE?

Learning sciences is an interdisciplinary field that works to further scientific understanding of learning. Research focuses on the cognitive, social, and design considerations of learning environments. In many ways, it simply attempts to ground research on curriculum design, instructional methods, and policy in a scientific understanding of learning. The complexity is great here b/c learning (& knowledge) is regularly understood to be socially constructed, so arriving at qualitative and quantitative evidence is difficult.

LS researchers use Design-Based Research methods in which interventions are conceptualized and then implemented in natural settings in order to test ecological validity.

I see LS as a pragmatic approach to education reform. From my experience, LSers work hard to develop new theories and frameworks for conceptualizing learning, instruction, design processes, and educational reform in the face of cognitive, biological (neuroscience), social, and technological advancements.