Learning+Progressions

The ability for a student to think in more sophisticated ways about a topic after investigating this topic over a broad span of time; this is crucially dependent on instructional practices (Taking Science to School, ch. 8, p.219)

According to the learning progression approach, understanding can be represented as a continuum from novice to expert understanding, and that continuum can be divided into ordered, qualitatively different levels with arecognizable ‘‘progression in sophistication’’ (Wilson, 2005, p. 8, as seen in Steedle, 2009)

Wilson, M. (2005). Constructing measures: An item response modeling approach. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

The following is taken from //How and When Does Complex Reasoning Occur? Empirically Driven Development of a Learning Progression Focused on Complex Reasoning about Biodiversity//

According to Songer //et al.// learning progressions are created by the inclusion of both content knowledge and inquiry reasoning skills. In order for a learning progression to foster continued learning about scientific content, the inquiry reasoning skills must also be developed. Songer //et al.// also suggests that learning progressions in terms of the content sequence and inquiry reasoning sequence can not be "directly evaluated." Rather, they can be used as a resource "for the generation of products, such as curricular products, which can be empiracally evaluated." In the work performed by Songer //et al//., "learning progressions are a template for the design of curricula, assessment and professional development products, which, subsequently, can be evaluated relative to student learning outcomes." (Songer //et al.// 2009 p. 611)

 There are types of learning progressions depending upon their time span and the data that generates them. Learning progressions can span K-12 grade levels or they can be of shorter duration such as the nature of force during a physis unit. The levels of a learning progressions can be either empirically derived or theoretically derived. The ultimate goal is for a learning progression to be empirically validated.