What Are We About?

Have you ever tried to use patterns to reach an audience without much technical background? Have you ever written a wonderful pattern but had difficulty helping others to use it, because they lacked some knowledge that your pattern took for granted? Have you ever run across a set of patterns in the literature and tried to introduce them into your organization, only to find that your colleagues needed help getting "up to speed" before they could use the patterns?

If you can say 'yes' to any of the above, you will want to consider attending the workshop on elementary patterns and their role in instruction, to be offered as a part of ChiliPLoP '98. Read on for answers to these questions about the Hot Topic workshop:

* What will we do?
* How will we do it?
* Who should participate?
* How do I apply?
* What are the important dates?
* How do I find out more?

What Will We Do?

There are many ways to look at patterns. An especially useful way to think of patterns is as a tool for teaching. We don't use patterns blindly; we learn them. Patterns are all about learning new techniques, understanding when and how to use them.

This workshop will explore the teaching side of patterns, especially patterns appropriate for novices learning in more formal instructional settings. We will demonstrate how patterns can be used in such settings. We will also evaluate some elementary patterns that are in use and try to determine what makes a pattern suitable for novices.

Our goal is to explore how to use patterns effectively to teach novices. One of our primary means toward this end will be to learn by doing. We will produce a prototype or two: the design of a course organized around patterns, or a set of curricular materials for such a course, or a pattern language for teaching some elementary topic. Two focus groups of three or four people each will work together for much of the workshop to create these artifacts, which will then be reviewed by the whole group at the end of the workshop. Topics for the focus groups will be selected based on the requests to participate and the strengths and interests of the selected participants.

In the end, our artifacts may or may not prove useful beyond the workshop itself. But, even if they are not, we will have learned something about the use of patterns to teach novices and, we hope, have increased our chances of succeeding in future attempts.