Date:         Wed, 19 Apr 2000 16:17:43 PDT
Reply-To:     CS92-L List <CS92-L@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU>
Sender:       CS92-L List <CS92-L@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU>
From:         Laurence Blakely <loloblakely@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Questions for discussion tomorrow
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

Hello,
here are some things I thought would be interesting to discuss in class
tomorrow from the Schank and Cleary book, ch. 11. See you all tomorrow...

1. Different types of knowledge:
a. fact
b. case - a story which can illurstate a point or how the world works
c. skill - employement of complex strategies put together to form a skill
d. process - an especially important high level skill (eg. communications,
human relations)
Do we agree with this classification?  The text discredits factual knowledge
in education, saying that it comes with the rest. Is this true? Are there
any facts that are necessary to know in and of themselves?

2. Subjects vs. domains: The text proposes here a basic restructuring of the
way knowledge is taught in schools. What exactly do they mean by the word
"domain?"  Do you agree with the statement that in order to tap into
learners? interests schools should be organized according to domains rather
than subjects? This is a pretty big thing to say and would require some
major changes in the system. Is the current one so terrible?

3. Does the wine school example illustrate this theory well? Can you think
of any other domain oriented learning situations which could work well?

4. Goal-based scenarios: Is it a problem that the student and the designer
have to approach the scenario from opposite ends (top down vs. bottom up)?
Are the two examples given in the text good ones?

5. A big part of this system is interconnecting topics and knowledge in the
world which are traditionally separated into different subjects. Is this
possible without great confusion? Does the GBS provide a good model for
this?

6. The open curriculum implies giving more importance to individual needs
and interests. Obviously everybody has different strengths and interests,
but is there a limit to how individualized school can be? "Less control can
lead to more learning" (200), but are there certain things that really
should be mandatory?

7. Finally, how does educational software come into play in the GBS model?
Do any of you feel that your software is at all similar to a goal-based
scenario?