Anchored Instruction

Anchored instruction (An-I) is an approach to the design of learning environments that situates learning in complex problem solving and inquiry contexts. It builds on theories suggesting that learners better understand the meaning or significance of new information if they and their mentors share what Karl Bühler called semantic fields, which allow personalization and exchanges of multiple perspectives. An-I often uses interactive technologies (videodiscs in the early days) that make it possible to create simulated problem settings that are difficult or impossible to actually visit due to time and cost; for example, to provide students with multiple opportunities to learn to test for water pollution in preparation for a real river trip that is too expensive to travel to more than once. An-I has also ...