The only thing I’m unhappy with in this book chapter is the title (and, correspondingly, the name of the framework). I was trying to be true to the underlying theory, but really it’s just too confusing and gets in the way of people understanding it and picking it up. The basic idea is that there’s a type of theory that attempts to store knowledge in an external, rule-based system, and there’s a type of theory that helps professionals tune their own sensitivities to situational factors, but that ultimately recognizes that people make wise choices, not theory. This chapter (which won 2nd place in the 2021 AECT Theories to Influence the Future of Learning Design competition) categorizes different kinds of these orienting and attuning theories, to guide researchers who seek to inform practice.
From the abstract:
My purpose in this chapter is to offer a reimagined view of theory in the field of learning design and technology (LDT). Instead of viewing theory as an external storehouse of knowledge, or a rule-like system for professionals to apply, in this framework theory is viewed as an orienting aid that supports practitioners as they refine their personal capacities for perception, discrimination, and judgment. Theory plays this orienting role as it offers insights into LDT-relevant practical knowledge, productive heuristics, points professionals towards opportunities to act, or identifies significant patterns and forms of excellence to which they can pay attention as they attempt to improve their craft. The chapter concludes with some implications for this framework for future research and practice in the field.
Reference:
McDonald, J. K. (2022). A framework for phronetic LDT theory. In Leary, H., Greenhalgh, S. P., Staudt Willet, K. B., & M.-H. Cho (Eds.), Theories to influence the future of learning design. Ed Tech Books.
