Reading reflection 2 | W8 Q2 | Discussion

Both Spiro et al.(1992) and Shapiro & Niederhauser (2003) describe well- and ill-structuredness in the papers. The distinctions of these are important because we normally pay attention to the well-structured domains of schooling that emphasize the single right answer. However, ill-structuredness is more prevalent, especially beyond the school. Spiro et al(1992) indicate that knowledge acquisition may be oversimplified and neglect the complexity within the content, resulting in misconception (p. 62). For example, “a single analogy may help at the early stage learning, but actually, interfere with the more advanced concept”(p. 63), The implications of the distinctions for teaching and learning include 1) different pedagogical approaches for teachers and 2)equip a flexible mindset to adapt and solve new problems. Shapiro & Niederhauser (2003) suggest that “learners with low prior knowledge benefit the most from well-formed structures” (p. 610). Students in entry-level classes will learn better if they are presented with formal and systematic lecturing. While moving to the advanced class, teachers can add more multiplicity and interactions between concepts in the instructional design. Next, learners can be more flexible in terms of perspective-taking and decision-making. For example, they tend to think of multiple ways to solve the problem or they are willing to change their thinking process when being in a new situation.