ABSTRACT
This commentary considers the first four chapters of this volume in order to situate an appreciation not only of the particular chapters themselves but of their main focus, Alexander’s (1997; 2005) and her colleagues’ Model of Domain Learning. The thesis of the commentary is that the four papers provide a solid introduction to the model explaining how and why the constructs of knowledge, strategies, and interest are essential to an understanding of what it means to learn in an academic domain, with each paper enriching our appreciation of these constructs as well as our awareness of the value of the original enterprise represented by Alexander’s work. The commentary also points out particular areas left implicit in the model, particularly what motivates the learner to move from one stage to another, the influence of contextual factors on the learning trajectory, and such newly central constructs to the field of learning as identity and goals.
