Principles for Designing Cognitive

Apprenticeship Environments

CONTENT—types of knowledge required for expertise

Domain knowledge subject matter specific concepts, facts, and procedures

Heuristic strategies generally applicable techniques for accomplishing tasks

Control strategies general approaches for directing one’s solution process

Learning strategies knowledge about how to learn new concepts, facts, and procedures

METHOD—ways to promote the development of expertise

Modeling teacher performs a task so students can observe

Coaching teacher observes and facilitates while students perform a task

Scaffolding teacher provides supports to help the student perform a task

Articulation teacher encourages students to verbalize their knowledge and thinking

Reflection teacher enables students to compare their performance with others

Exploration teacher invites students to pose and solve their own problems

SEQUENCING—keys to ordering learning activities

Global before local skills focus on conceptualizing the whole task before executing the parts

Increasing complexity meaningful tasks gradually increasing in difficulty

Increasing diversity practice in a variety of situations to emphasize broad applications

SOCIOLOGY—social characteristics of learning environments

Situated learning students learn in the context of working on realistic tasks

Community of practice communication about different ways to accomplish meaningful tasks

Intrinsic motivation students set personal goals to seek skills and solutions

Cooperation students work together to accomplish their goals

*From: Collins, A., Brown, J., & Holum, A. (1991). Cognitive apprenticeship: Making thinking visible. American Educator, 15, p.43.