GeniusGrid

Comparison

1. Common SpikyPOVs

GeniusGrid and Workflowy share several common perspectives on learning and instructional design:

• Importance of Motivation:

  • GeniusGrid: "The Effect of Collaborative Learning on Cognitive Load: Collaborative learning can distribute cognitive load among group members, making complex tasks more manageable and enhancing overall learning outcomes through shared cognitive resources."
  • Workflowy: "Motivation is more important than IQ - a motivational program can increase student's learning rate by 3x whereas high IQ vs median IQ only impacts learning on the order of 50%."

• Role of Pre-Training and Mastery:

  • GeniusGrid: "The Importance of Pre-Training: Providing pre-training on key concepts before introducing complex tasks can significantly reduce intrinsic cognitive load, making it easier for learners to process new information and build upon existing knowledge."
  • Workflowy: "Mastery Learning, where students don't move on to more difficult material unless they've mastered the prerequisites, is 2x - 5x more efficient than 'conveyor belt' systems that move students ahead in curriculums based on their age."

• Working Memory Capacity:

  • GeniusGrid: "Dual-Mode Presentation to Increase Working Memory Capacity: Utilizing both auditory and visual channels simultaneously can effectively increase working memory capacity, provided the information is non-redundant and essential to understanding, thus optimizing learning."
  • Workflowy: "There are differences in student working memory capacity (WMC) that have a measurable impact on learning speed. Presenting materials that exceed a student's WMC lead to unproductive struggle."

2. Contradicting SpikyPOVs

• Role of Inquiry-Based Learning:
  • GeniusGrid: "The Expertise Reversal Effect: Instructional methods that are effective for novices can become counterproductive for experts. As learners gain expertise, instructional design should shift from high guidance to more problem-solving and exploratory approaches to avoid unnecessary cognitive load."
  • Workflowy: "We don't believe that inquiry-based learning is a replacement for rote learning. Inquiry-based learning, by itself, is effective for only a small percentage of students who can learn the basics on their own (top 5% of students) and want to start with DOK 3 and DOK 4 type exercises, or AFTER students have learned the basics (DOK 1 and DOK 2)."

3. Contradicting Insights of the Second with SpikyPOVs of the First

• Direct Instruction vs. Worked Examples:
  • GeniusGrid: "The Role of Worked Examples in Reducing Cognitive Load: Worked examples are highly effective in reducing cognitive load for novice learners by providing clear, step-by-step solutions, which facilitate schema acquisition and reduce the need for problem-solving efforts."
  • Workflowy: "Direct Instruction is the fastest way to get information into a student's brain. Once the basic facts and procedures (DOK levels 1 and 2) are in the student's brain, then add rigor around abstract reasoning, strategic thinking, and transfer (DOK 3 and 4)."

4. General Contradictions

• Transient Information vs. Timed Testing:

  • GeniusGrid: "Transient Information and Cognitive Load: Transient information, such as spoken text or animations that disappear quickly, can significantly increase extraneous cognitive load. Effective instructional design should minimize transient information or provide aids like 'remember' boxes to mitigate this effect."
  • Workflowy: "Timed Testing is necessary because some knowledge needs to have 'instant' recall so you can use it as a foundation for higher-level concepts (example: fact fluency). Without automaticity as part of the mastery standard, students spend cognitive load on recall that could otherwise be used for higher reasoning (DOK 3 and 4)."

• Extrinsic Motivation:

  • GeniusGrid: No direct mention of extrinsic motivation.
  • Workflowy: "Extrinsic motivation is commonly seen as inferior to intrinsic. We see that aggressive extrinsic motivation pushes students through rigorous mastery-based learning. Success with rigorous standards breeds confidence which in turn builds intrinsic motivation."

These contradictions highlight differing philosophies on instructional design and learning strategies between the two texts.