Anchored Instruction by Heather Birst

Description of Anchored Instruction Model:

In Anchored Instruction students are typically shown a short video that provides a problem that students can solve to learn a concept or skill.  The video serves as the “anchor” for learning.  Students then collaborate to find information needed to solve the problems embedded in the video.  The goal of Anchored Instruction is to create engaging, realistic situations that motivate students to actively construct knowledge.  

Principles of Anchored Instruction:

• Encourages the active construction of knowledge by the learner.
•  Technology based learning.
•  Learning activities are designed around an “anchor” for example a story, situation or adventure that provides an issue or problem that captures students’ interest to find a solution to.
• Encourages students to problem solve together in a social setting.

In the Anchored Instruction model students transition through the following six steps:

Family Tree: John Bransford and the Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt University developed Anchored Instruction.  Anchored instruction provides opportunities for students to think about and work on problems.

Anchored Instruction is based upon social constructivist theory.  Constructivist Theory is based on four key principles (Harasim, 2012):

• Active learning
• Learning-by-doing
• Scaffolded learning
• Collaborative learning

Anchored Instruction is related to other theories including Situated Cognition, Cognitive Flexibility Theory, Constructivism and Cognitive Apprenticeship. (Theories of learning in educational psychology, nd).

Example of Anchored Instruction:

A great example of Anchored Instruction is the Jasper Woodbury Problem Solving Series.  In this series students are shown video segments that have embedded teaching to create an environment where students are required to solve problems.  In one episode a General is missing.  Students must solve algebra equations in a ransom letter to determine his location.  These problems include measuring the speed of sound, comparing various rates of travel, demonstrating the relationship of a circumference of a circle to its diameter and calculating the height of a hill.

This and other great examples of Anchored Instruction can be found here:

http://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/ai.htm

Related Resources:

Anchored Instructions use in mathematics and Enhanced Anchored Instruction are discussed at: http://www.education.com/reference/article/anchored-instruction/

Examples of using Anchored Instruction in the classroom can be found at:  https://anchoredinstruction.wordpress.com/

References:

Bottge, B. (2009). Anchored instruction. Retrieved June 8, 2016 from  http://www.education.com/reference/article/anchored-instruction/

Anchored Instruction (2015). Instructional design. Retrieved June 8, 2016, from http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/anchored-instruction.html

Anchored Instruction (n.d.). In Theories of learning in educational psychology. Retrieved June 8, 2016, from http://www.lifecircles-inc.com/Learningtheories/bransford.html

Harasim, Linda. (2012). Learning theory and online technologies. New York, New York: Routledge.