3. Why a consilience tool, and what is it?

In my IDPSS, TI+TL=the Consilience Tool. (instructional theory+learning theory)

The term of "consilience" is drawn from Wilson's (1998) book Consilience: the unity of knowledge. In the context of this project, consilience represents the synthesis of learning theories.

Driscoll (2005) adopted Reigeluth's definition of instructional theory:"identifying methods that will best provide the conditions under which learning goals will most likely be attained"(p.352). By contrast, a learning theory explains the relationship between specific learning conditions and desired learning goals.

In order to inform practice, teachers or instructional designers may either adopt design principles from instructional theories or draw implications from learning theories. Driscoll deplored the fact that few comprehensive instructional theories exist, and that practitioners have to rely more on drawing implications from learning theories than following a good ID (instructional design) theory.

If there were an ideal instructional system theory that is comprehensive enough, teachers and designers' work would become less difficult and complex, and the quality of education would be improved. Unfortunately, there is not yet an ideal instructional theory. Gagne's instructional theory is a fairly comprehensive one (Driscoll, 2005), but his theory fails to consider some perspectives, such as that of social constructivism. Therefore, we have to rely more on drawing implications from various learning theories.

Each learning theory illuminates some aspects of learning while obscuring others. So, fully understanding of learning requires a synthesis of learning theories. This is a difficult, yet very important task. I design the consilience tool for the above reason. I am expecting that my instructional design practice can be informed by a complete model in a more systematic way.

The key function of a consilience tool is to assit learning analysis through the following processes:
1. Identifying the synthesis of learning outcomes.

2. Determining an optimal combination of learning conditions:
(a) to make decision based on the synthesis of learning outcomes,
(b) to link to all relevant learning theories through the theory matrix

3. Determining instructional strategies:
(a) Start from the optimal combination of learning conditions;
(b) For each condition, can I deductively draw new implications beyond what is mentioned in the textbook?
(c) Determine the strengths and weaknesses of available experimental tested implications (prescriptive instructional strategies);
(d) Decide whether the strategies can be modified by introducing new elements or modifying existing elements;
(e) Determine whether all the strategies can be integrated together without any conflicts;
(f) Examine again whether all learning conditions are likely to be satisfied by adopting these strategies;
(g) If any condition is omitted, work on this condition by repeating the above steps.

Reference:

Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education Inc.

Wilson, E. O. (1998). Consilience: The unity of knowledge. NY: Knopf.