My first though was, “How is this method different from Goal-Based Scenarios, Anchored Instruction, or Cognitive Apprenticeship?” Then I realized that Case-Based Scenarios are based on real events rather than made-up stories or situations. These situations have happened to someone, somewhere so they provide learning opportunities, good or bad.
Case-Base scenarios remind me of what the Army calls After Action Reviews (or AARs). AARs occur once an event (in our case it is usually a concert or some type of training) is complete. What went right or wrong with the event? What can make it better? Curiously enough, the AAR, by definition, doesn't determine the success or failure of the event, but it does serve as a way to make the next event better. These After Action Reviews are usually done informally. If the AARs were done formally, they would make great Case-Based scenarios for our career field.
I do like the Case-Based methods and see myself using them in the future. There are two ways I would present a lesson using Case-Based methods. One way would be to present the entire problem and have the student answer a few questions at the end of the presentation. For example: What went wrong here? What went right? How can we make it better in the future?
The second way to present the case is to present parts of the event, ask a few questions like: If you were this person’s leader, how would you react? Would you do____________? Would you not do ___________? Where could you send this person for support? After these questions were asked, I would present the outcome of the original case. Then we could discuss what went right or wrong and how the problem can be fixed in the future. We can compare what the students thought should happen to what really happened.
One problem I see with this method is coming up with cases that are accurate. Perhaps the person recalling the case does not remember specific details or is unaware of the outcome. In some situations, the case needs to be heard, but the privacy of the individuals involved needs to be respected.
I can best see these cases being presented using interactive web sites. They could either be presented as text or with images, sound, and video. Each case could be presented from a different view point. For example, instead of stating the case, the case could be presented from the view of someone involved. If I created a military case to be used by a class of people learning to be squad leaders, the case would be presented from the viewpoint of the squad leader. The stories can also be organized by topic so that specific areas are addressed in the cases.
Your AAR example is perfect! I can see how Case-Based scenarios are used to support learning after the action has occurred. More people use this type of debriefing than I realized. Reading your post brought to mind coaches -- after the big game; trainers -- after the training session when reviewing the plus/delta or the attendees' feedback -- a principal going over the teacher evaluation with the teacher. I could see coaches using videos and game footage when discussing 'the case' with the team!
ReplyDeleteGreat comparison with AAR's. I can definitely see the similarities with the review of how the event went so a particular event can be handled better or differently in the future. I also like your ideas for presenting this model in the classroom. I think students could really benefit from identifying the positives and negatives about how a situation was handled and discussing how it can be handled better in the future.
ReplyDeleteKristy,
ReplyDeleteI never thought about coaches using Case-Based scenarios, but this is a good example. When I was in a competitive high school marching band, we would also review the footage every Monday and sometimes we would review videos of better bands.
Karen, your post provided a great example through the AARs - even though I hadn't thought of it after the readings, your post reminded me of how I have used case-based reasoning in my early experiences of teaching workshops. After each one I really appreciated talking with our instructional services librarian, about what went right and what I might do differently next time, and what things are simply unpredictable. This reflective process was especially helpful for me because the instructional services librarian was a 'skilled practitioner' in that she had much more experience than me, yet was not too far removed from knowing how the novice experience can be.
ReplyDeleteI too like your comparison to AARs. When I read your post it reminded me of my days of PTA president when I had to write many AARs for various events. Your example put it into perspective for me.
ReplyDeleteI thought the Army was the only organization that uses the AAR. In my opinion, we don't do enough of them.
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