Educational Content: Structure, Levels, and Focus
Educational Content
Definition of Content
In education, content is the knowledge or information communicated from teacher to student. We differentiate between “teaching content” and “content of education.” Teaching content is what authorities deem necessary for students to learn, while content of education is what teachers actually convey.
Theory of Content Elaboration
This theory seeks to prescribe how to select, structure, and organize instructional content. According to Coll, it’s a broad theory of instruction, incorporating cognitive psychology and information processing principles. It explains how knowledge is stored, encoded, and transferred to prescribe instructional strategies for optimal learning.
Levels of Content Development
Content development involves processing levels of increasing complexity:
- Level 1: Provides detailed information on items from the epitome (the initial overview). This level doesn’t encompass all information.
- Level 2: Similar to Level 1, but elaborates on one Level 1 element instead of an epitome element.
- Level 3: Details one element from Level 2, and so on. Each level’s development becomes the epitome for the next. The number of levels depends on the desired depth.
Meaning of Epitome
The epitome is the initial overview in content elaboration. It integrates, rather than summarizes, essential components, conveying key elements with practical examples and illustrations. Its properties include:
- Includes only fundamental and representative elements.
- Elements are chosen to allow further detailing.
- Serves as the initial subject of education.
- Taught through practical exercises for student comprehension.
- Has a basic content orientation (conceptual, theoretical, or procedural).
- Includes other content elements only if relevant to understanding.
Focus of Content
Schiro outlines four approaches to content and its relation to education:
- Structure of Disciplines and Formal Learning: Follows the logical structure of each discipline, focusing on program requirements and objective evaluation.
- Student-Centered: Focuses on the individual student’s characteristics, needs, and learning pace.
- Scientific Approach: Considers both subjective reality and knowledge application, aiming for personal and social development.
- Technological and Functional Approach: Prioritizes effective education and addresses both “what” and “how” to teach.