New Article: What is Task-centered Learning

My good friend Dr. Greg Francom and I have recently published an article entitled "What is Task-centered Learning" in TechTrends. The article describes the foundations and fundamental principles of task-centered learning and describes several instructional models that exemplify many of the principles of task-centered learning. Below is the abstract of the article, and a pre-publication PDF draft of the article can be found on my academia.edu page. Thanks to Dr. Francom for inviting me to write as second author - he is an outstanding scholar and I have been grateful to write with and learn from him.

"What is Task-centered Learning?" Article Abstract:

Many recent models of learning and instruction center learning on real-world tasks and problems to support knowledge application and transfer. Of the many different approaches to centering learning on real-world tasks and problems, one main area in recent literature attempts to balance the efficiency of adequate learner support with the effectiveness of centering learning on real-world tasks. Names for the various models in this area have included problem-centered instruction, cognitive apprenticeship, elaboration theory, and task-centered learning/instruction. As yet there has not been much comparison or combination of the prescriptions of these task-centered approaches to learning. Therefore we compare and combine several task-centered learning models to outline essential prescriptive elements of a task-centered learning approach.

Related Post: How Task-centered Learning Differs From Problem-based Learning

Article Reference:

Francom, G., & Gardner, J. (2014). What is task-centered learning? TechTrends. DOI: 10.1007/s11528-014- 0784-z

Interview on Task-centered Learning

My good friend and colleague Dr. Greg Francom and I were recently interviewed by Evolllution, a group that focuses on "Illuminating the Lifelong Learning Movement."

You can listen to, download, or read the interview here.

We discussed topics related to our recent article How Task-centered Learning Differs from Problem-based Learning: Epistemologies, Influences, Goals, and Prescriptions.

It is a little odd being interviewed in this manner because the customary communication methods of a scholar are writing and teaching. In writing, I can revise and edit and polish my work. In teaching, I am usually not recorded and am a little less worried about how I sound.

That being said, I feel like the interview went well, we covered important topics, and I was very grateful to have Dr. Francom there - he is a very thoughtful, insightful scholar and a good friend.

New Article: How Task-centered Learning Differs from Problem-based Learning

What is Task-Centered Learning? What is Problem-based Learning? How are the two approaches similar and how are they different?

To help provide some clarity on the differences between these two influential approaches to instructional design, my colleague Dr. Greg Francom and I recently wrote and published an article in EdTech Magazine. Our purpose is to helps instructional designers and teachers see the merits and strengths of each of these approaches while understanding the differences. You can also click here to access a pre-publication draft of the article.

Francom, G., Gardner, J. (2013). How task-centered learning differs from problem-based learning: Epistemologies, influences, goals, and prescriptions. Educational Technology Magazine, 53(3), pp. 33-38.

This article is a really good introduction to these influential theories and should be useful to instructional design students learning about the many approaches to instructional design. It can also be used in an introductory course for that same purpose. Thanks to Dr. Greg Francom for inviting me to assist in the writing of this article - he is an excellent scholar, a good writer, and a good friend.