In Order to Learn: How the Sequence of Topics Influences Learning

SECTION 1. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTERS; 1. Call to Order: How and Why Sequences Influence Learning; 2. Order is the First Step to Mastery; 3. Machine Learning: The Necessity of Order (Is Order In Order?); 4. Rules of Order: Process Models of Human Learning; 5. Order Out of Chaos: Order in Connectionist Models; 6. Putting Things in Order: Collecting and Analyzing Data on Learning; SECTION 2. FUNDAMENTAL EXPLANATIONS OF ORDER: EXAMPLE MODELS; 7. An Example Order for Cognitive Skill Acquisition; 8. An Ordered Chaos: Sequences and Mental Structures; 9. Learning in Order: Steps of Acquiring the Concept of the Day/Night Cycle; 10. Timing is in Order: Modeling Order Effects in the Learning of Information; 11. The Effects of Order: A Model of Transfer and Critiquing; SECTION 3. GETTING IN AND OUT OF ORDER: TECHNIQUES AND EXAMPLES FROM EDUCATION AND INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN; 12. Getting Out of Order: Avoiding Order Effects Through Instruction; 13. Order or No Order: System vs. Learner Control in Sequencing Simulation-Based Discovery Learning; 14. Making Your Own Order: Order Effects in System- and User-Controlled Settings for Learning and Problem Solving; SECTION 4. CONCLUSIONS; 15. All is in Order

."..full of good content and an extensive set of references."--Ergonomics in Design

."..a detailed book on the role of order in learning. Authors deal with the main goal of showing the relevance of the sequence of information, topics, procedures, etc. in learning. The book is very well organized and it comes from a research program involving five work groups all interested in learning, and the influence of 'order' on learning... A great effort has been put into guiding the reader through the contents of the book in a gentle and effective manner....I would suggest this book to researchers interested in the topic of learning and teaching because it develops an original and uncommon point of view that could be difficult to find in more general educational literature; it also provides a valuable resource to reflect on the role of order in learning and teaching practice."--Paola Palladino as reviewed in Infant and Child Development