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UW-Madison Education Professor Sharon Derry is developing and testing the STEP (Secondary Teacher Education Project) Web, www.wcer.wisc.edu/STEP, an innovative and sophisticated distance learning environment on the Web for supporting scientific instruction for teacher education.

The goals of instruction with STEP Web are to help future teachers acquire better knowledge about the disciplinary concepts they are teaching; scientific knowledge about how students learn and develop within disciplines; and cognitive flexibility - the ability to combine, adapt, and apply this knowledge to classroom teaching. More Info

UW-Madison Education Professor Sharon Derry is developing and testing the STEP (Secondary Teacher Education Project) Web, www.wcer.wisc.edu/STEP, an innovative and sophisticated distance learning environment on the Web for supporting scientific instruction for teacher education.

The goals of instruction with STEP Web are to help future teachers acquire better knowledge about the disciplinary concepts they are teaching; scientific knowledge about how students learn and develop within disciplines; and cognitive flexibility—the ability to combine, adapt, and apply this knowledge to classroom teaching.

Both the design of the Web site and its subject matter content are based on current principles of learning and development drawn from cognitive psychology and other learning sciences.

Derry's premise is that high level transfer of professional knowledge and skills can be attained through this approach to Web-based instructional design. Many instructional approaches fail because they represent complex subject matter in an unrealistically simplified and well-structured manner. The multidimensional, nonlinear structure of the Web has potential to convey knowledge complexity and promote cognitive flexibility.

The instructional strategies supported by STEP Web are case-based learning and problem-based learning. Case-based learning (CBL) refers to an approach in which learners (e.g. preservice teachers) are exposed to subject-matter knowledge as they study and analyze actual cases (e.g. annotated video of actual classroom instruction).

Problem Based Learning (PBL) is a form of small-group, student-centered instruction in which learners acquire subject matter (e.g. psychological concepts and related instructional methods) as required for solving real-world problems presented using cases (e.g. redesign this lesson).

Leading teachers and educational researchers advocate these methods for helping learners acquire useful knowledge that can be flexibly adapted, combined, and applied across many situations. Regarding these instructional approaches, however, there are unresolved issues that must be addressed through research and development.

For more information contact Derry at sharond@wcer.wisc.edu .