Customer Reviews

Writing Training Materials That Work: How to Train Anyone to Do Anything

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Foshay and associates have succeeded in the task described in the subtitle of this work. This book has three parts: 1. Introduction to the Cognitive Approach; 2. How to Design Lessons using the Cognitive Approach; 3. Using the Cognitive Approach: The Research Issues.

The book itself is an excellent illustration of the techniques that it intends to teach, starting with how to organize and present information (chapter 4). Then individual chapters deal with teaching facts (5), teaching concepts (6), teaching principles and mental models (7), teaching well-structured problem solving (8), teaching ill-structured problem solving (9), and teaching troubleshooting (10). The early chapters lay down the principles underlying the cognitive point of view on how learning occurs (1) and how to design training using the cognitive model described (2). The final chapters get into research issues related to teaching both declarative knowledge (13) and procedural knowledge (14) -- a critical distinction in the teaching of technology (my own area of interest) and for other areas of practical learning. Declarative knowledge is knowledge about something; procedural knowledge is knowledge of how to do something.

Strongly recommended.

Found this book very helpful in applying theoretical concepts into real practice. Authors do a nice job of clear concise writing. They build on traditional practice and then add some updates. Not a treatise on the subject, so if you are looking for a more complete reference text, this might not be the best.