Teaching the Parts AND the Whole
Most instructors quickly realize that they cannot just explain what they know and students will immediately understand it. Experts have so much context to their understanding that novices are missing. We then realize we have to break down a concept or topic into smaller parts to help the learner understand the bigger idea. Sometimes, though, we spend so much time on the smaller parts, we neglect to support students in assembling them into the whole that we understand. We emphasize specific pieces of information, skills, or approaches and assess them, then become disappointed when learners are not able to apply their learning in new contexts. Effective learning must use a combination of breaking down concepts and skills into smaller parts as well as strategically helping students to understand how they relate and differ across contexts.