Content-focused learning
From The Learning Engineer's Knowledgebase
Content-focused learning is an approach to education that places the content of an educational experience as the focus of the experience.
Definition
A content-focused approach to learning is one that organizes the learning experience around the content goals and course topics. The content, which includes media, information, and course materials, is predominantly how the experience is organized. The learning activities in content-focused approaches are that people "work through" the content by reviewing or using the media and texts that are provided. Additional activities may be provided, but the focus of the organization is on the content and its use.
Additional Information
Content-focused learning is the most common way that educational courses are organized and structured. A typical class in a K-12 or higher education setting is composed of defined elements, such as lessons, units, or modules. These elements are usually defined by the topics and the content they include. Elements are also sequenced in a way that build on previous elements so that learners acquire necessary information in previous modules to understand future modules. In a content-focused element, the learner will focus on using the content (i.e., media), and not on any other activity. Examples of content-based elements include doing an assigned reading or watching a sequence of videos.
Content-focused learning can be contrasted with active learning, in which the activities and interactions of the learner are the focus of the learning experience. In active learning, content is instead used in service to the activity, not as the focus of the activity itself.
Common active learning approaches that focus on an activity include problem-based learning, project-based learning, scenario-based learning, and game-based learning. In each of these examples, the learner first and foremost does the tasks of the activity. Learners typically use content in active learning contexts, but only in relation to the activity they are initially performing.
Tips and Tricks
- Consider what kinds of media and content that learners consume during the learning experience. Do people use these information sources to perform the activities of the experience, or is the goal of the task to simply review or read the information? If people simply consume information resources as an assigned activity, then the activity is content-focused.
- The differences between content-focused and active learning are nuanced, but are important when considering what kinds of activities that learners are performing in the learning experience. For instance, if you use active learning theories of constructivism or connectivism to guide your design, then it would be largely inconsistent to rely on content-focused activities that are largely passive in nature. If you wish to maintain an active learning stance, consider how the interactions that you design for your experience are active in nature and are the focus of the educational experience.
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