Design for understanding.
Learning design should make important ideas accessible without hiding the thinking learners need to do.
Five principles
- Start from prior knowledge
New ideas need somewhere to attach. Design begins by finding out what learners already understand and where the gaps are.
- Model the thinking, not just the steps
Clear worked examples make the reasoning visible, so learners see why a step works and not only what to do.
- Release responsibility gradually
Learning moves from modeling, to guided practice, to independent work, with support reduced as understanding grows.
- Use feedback to choose the next step
Assessment is most useful when it tells the learner and the teacher what to do next.
- Let technology serve the design
Tools should support these decisions rather than determine them.
In practice
In my Algebra II classroom, many learners need support with foundational equations and functions before tackling more advanced concepts. That makes careful sequencing and attention to cognitive load essential, and it shapes how LauraLearning supports teachers: understand the mathematics first, anticipate misconceptions, then prepare the lesson.