ABSTRACT
The use of analogy is just one component of elaboration theory, a model for the sequencing and organising instruction on a course of content developed by Charles Reigeluth in the 1970s and 1980s. The elaboration theory’s prescriptions are based both on an analysis of the structure of knowledge and on an understanding of cognitive processes and learning theories. As with other theories, goals form the basis for prescribing models. The core idea in elaboration theory is a simple one: when designing a sequence of lessons units, content should be presented in a simple way at first and then with increasingly complexity, but crucially the student must have a sound contextual understanding of the broad domain within which to process and assimilate new knowledge, skills, and concepts. The most important aspect of all three models is a specific kind of simple-to-complex sequence, which is an extension of D. P. Ausubel’s subsumptive sequencing, J. S. Bruner’s spiral curriculum, and Norman’s web learning.
