Designing for advanced

Expertise · substantial prior knowledge, or experts · All situations

108 rows from 107 pages say what to change when the brief's expertise is advanced; 73 of them cite a claim. Pages whose rows cite claims come first. Read the basis before relying on a row: many carry a claim to learners or settings it did not test, and say so.

Ask Experts

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on this task, or already self-diagnose most errors	Drop the explanation and modelling steps; the learner presents work and their own critique, and the expert adds only what the learner missed; use peer critique between consultations	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (review of cognitive-load studies, not consultations; gives no crossover point)

Balanced pronunciation curriculum covering suprasegmentals, segmentals, and fluency, with a short list of central features selected by diagnosis

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced and want fluency or ease of understanding in long turns	Weight the list towards thought groups, pausing, linking and intonation; use repeated retellings and listener feedback, not ASR, for these.	Fluspeak [~W] (poor for advanced learners seeking fluency); immediate task repetition [+W]

Build productive instructor-learner relationships so adults feel connected and take an active role in learning

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are adult professionals or advanced in the field (a workplace course, continuing education)	Treat the relationship as between colleagues: replace the personal intake with "what do you want to use this for at work, and what do you already do?", let learners bring cases from their work from session 2, and invite them to correct you	Four relational components—positive feedback, rapport, mutual respect, and reciprocal trust—form the relational framework of coaching [+W] (teachers and their coaches, focus groups); otherwise untested

Classroom Space and Procedural Design

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners already advanced on the assignment type	Give the criteria only; drop the stage list and example outline	Expertise reversal [~M] (cognitive-load studies, carried to assignment structure they did not test)

Cognitive Flexibility

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Expertise intermediate or advanced, an ill-structured domain (clinical reasoning, law, policy)	Use criss-crossing: revisit each concept in several short cases under different themes across sessions; drop the step-by-step part tasks.	Presenting multiple cases from different perspectives supports transfer in ill-structured domains [+M]; tested with first- and second-year undergraduates, untested with professionals

Cognitive Styles

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are novice on the task, or advanced	Novice: give the structure or worked model to all, regardless of style. Advanced: drop the frame and check the approach on one unaided task; prior knowledge, not style, sets how much guidance to give	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~S] (cognitive-load studies; does not address styles)

Collaborative Evaluation

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or practising professionals	Have them co-construct criteria, judge genuinely borderline cases, and record reasoned disagreement instead of forcing consensus; use a rubric for the shared vocabulary, not as a score sheet.	Rubric guidance [~M]: in a graduate course a rubric changed feedback content but restrained reflective and divergent commentary

Combine intentional and incidental vocabulary learning rather than relying on incidental learning alone

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, already at about 95% coverage of their texts	Shift most time to extensive reading and listening with few glosses; keep deliberate study for low-frequency words in their field and for the after-input routine	Incidental vocabulary exposure produces reliable learning, but learners pick up only a small share… [~S] (why some deliberate study stays even for strong readers); ratio untested

Considering The Opposite

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or practising professionals	Prompt only, with no supplied alternative; use the red-team version (one person argues against the leading proposal) on consequential decisions	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (cognitive-load studies, carried to this prompt); the red-team form is untested

Contiguity Principle (Spatial and Temporal)

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on this content (advanced), or already read this kind of diagram fluently	Drop the explanatory text and give the diagram alone or with key labels; check with a changed-condition question	Integration reverses into redundancy for experienced trainees [-M]; guidance that helps novices can become redundant [~S]; qualified by prior knowledge did not moderate design-principle effects overall [~M]

Debriefing

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, or experienced practitioners	Learners choose the decision points and lead; the facilitator asks for alternatives considered and the reasoning behind them, and adds only what was missed; keep it shorter	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (cognitive-load studies; no study of debriefs)

Deliberate Practice

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced and have plateaued	Let the learner pick the component from their own log, raise the standard, use outcome targets beside process goals, and give feedback mainly when the log shows a plateau	Process goals lead to better skill acquisition for novices than outcome goals. [~M] (reports that a shift to outcome goals after mastery can help; high-school writing)

Design tools so productive usage is guaranteed by affordances and constraints rather than instructions

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on the task, or already use the tool efficiently	Keep constraints light: block only the shortcut that skips the target; leave choice of tasks and features open	In simulated mastery learning, system constraints left most other task-selection strategies' overpractice stable while sharply reducing it under the outlier risk-averse strategy [~W] (simulated learners in mastery learning; carried to real learners untested)

Develop Understanding

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, or explain the idea correctly at step 1	Skip the worked cases; go to boundary cases, comparison with a neighbouring idea, and use in a richer task, with selective feedback.	Expertise reversal [~M] (a review of cognitive-load studies; gives no crossover point)

Digital Learning

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on the task, or succeed unaided on the first set	Remove most hints and prompts; give mixed, whole-task items and feedback only on request	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (a cognitive-load review; gives no crossover point)

Disciplinary Literacy

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced (upper-level undergraduates, graduate students) or already read as insiders	Skip most modelling; give harder or contested texts, ask for critique of a published argument, and check with one unaided text set before deciding	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (cognitive-load studies, not disciplinary reading)

Distributed Cognition

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on this task, or already succeed alone	Give them a blank template rather than a laid-out representation, fewer assigned roles, and judge them on the unaided check from the first session	Chunking reduces working memory load by grouping information into fewer, more meaningful units. [~S] (its Discussion: imposed chunking helps only until the learner can chunk unaided; carried from memory research)

Dual Coding

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on this content	Drop most supplied visuals; ask for a redraw from memory or a learner-made summary diagram, checked against a model	Graphic organizers for novices [~M] (the higher-ability subset showed no benefit; the authors say this cannot show maps fail them); the redraw is untested

Elaborative Reasoning

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or intermediate on this topic	Use why-prompts freely, on denser material, with fewer modelled answers; move early to learner-written questions	Elaborative interrogation benefits increase as learners' prior knowledge increases [~M] (one study reported in a review: larger gain in the high-knowledge domain)

Employ flexible error treatment strategies matched to objectives, competence, affect, and correction effectiveness

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are intermediate or advanced, and the form has been taught	Prompt first (repeat the error, give a rule clue, ask again); give the correct form only if the prompt fails. For an advanced learner who gets by with paraphrase, push for the exact form rather than accepting the workaround	Prompts and explicit correction larger than recasts in classrooms [~M]; workaround row: advanced learners content with circumlocution risk fixed errors [~W] (one learner's diary)

Explicit Instruction: Internet Search

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners already pick key terms and revise on their first observed search (advanced searchers)	Skip the modelling; give harder questions (unfamiliar field vocabulary, specialist databases, conflicting results) and peer comparison of search logs	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (cognitive-load studies, carried to searching)

Explicit Instruction: Math Strategies

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or already fluent in one method	Skip single-strategy modelling; go straight to comparing their method with an alternative on problems where the alternative is quicker; mixed problems requiring a choice	Comparing cases side by side improves learning and transfer by a moderate average amount, though in one algebra study it raised procedural knowledge and flexibility but not conceptual knowledge [+S] (seventh graders in the algebra study); Fading support promotes the transfer of responsibility from instructor to learner. [+S]

Explicit Instruction: Online Reading Strategies

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced online readers, or keep to a goal and join pages on the check task	Drop the think-aloud and the curated sets; give one open-web synthesis task with a short debrief on their choices	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (cognitive-load studies; carried; gives no crossover point)

Feedback Loops

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, or already accurate unaided	Shorten external loops: ask for self-evaluation first, give information only on what the self-evaluation missed, and loop on harder or transfer items	Expertise reversal [~M] (review of guidance studies, carried to feedback; no crossover point given)

Flexible Grouping

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on this task, or most already pass the check	Skip the support group for them; form an extension group with a harder or wider task, or place them in mixed groups as explainers with an explaining role, not answer-givers	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (cognitive-load studies, not grouping); Learning By Teaching Improves Tutor Learning [+M] (tutors' own gains)

Goal Setting & Monitoring

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are novice on the task (new procedure, first attempts); or intermediate/advanced	Novices: process goals naming the strategy steps, split into proximal sub-goals, outcome goals only once the process runs unprompted. Experienced learners: outcome goals with a stated criterion, which they may set or negotiate (learner-set goals are an untested proposal)	Process goals for novices [+M]; tested with high-school writers, untested in other domains

Graphic Organizers

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on this material, or already explain its structure	Drop the provided organizer; ask learners to sketch their own quickly, or use none; spend the time on application	Graphic Organizers Support Novice Comprehension [~M] (in five studies each, low-ability learners gained from maps and high-ability learners did not; underpowered subsets); Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (a review, not tested on organizers)

Guided Practice

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on this task, or succeed on the first item unaided	Drop most guided rounds; give one check item, then independent or whole-task practice with selective feedback	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (review of cognitive-load studies; gives no crossover point)

Handouts/Online Guides/Visual Reading Aids

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on this material, or already find the essential points unaided	Give a blank template or headings only, or no aid; drop marks and organizers that repeat what they can already see; keep only glosses for terms they do not know	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (cognitive-load review; gives no crossover point); Signaling Improves Learning [~S] (in one eighth-grade field study, signals linking text and pictures harmed high-prior-knowledge learners)

Holistic Learning

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are intermediate or advanced for this content	Replace the overview with the opening sketch; start at the first part they cannot explain; spend the time on integrative tasks	Expertise reversal [~M] (review of cognitive-load studies, carried to overviews; no crossover point)

Interleaving

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on the kinds, or already strong in the subject	Skip the blocked introduction, but check rather than assume that mixing helps them: give a short mixed check first, and if they already discriminate the kinds, spend the time on harder kinds instead	In the few studies that split by ability, learning techniques helped low-ability and not high-ability students [~W] (interleaved practice had negative effects in the high-ability group; 6 studies of high-ability students across all techniques)

Keep the learner in control of the information flow with on-demand tools and supports

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, following the scene without help	Drop the glossary pass; keep replay and the response points; give helps only for idioms and cultural references	Proficiency moderates gloss effects: vocabulary benefits appear at Levels 2 and 3 but not Levels 1 and 4 [~M] (no benefit at the highest level)

Knowledge Organization

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, or already state the organization unaided	Skip the given organization; ask them to rebuild it from memory, then reorganize it for a new task or critique where it fails	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (review of cognitive-load studies; carried to organizations, which it did not test)

Learning-for-Use (LfU) Model

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or already hold the idea	Skip most of the construct phase: state the idea, and spend the time on harder consequential tasks and new cases; let learners design their own investigation.	Problem-first effects rose with grade level [~M] (school and university grades, not expertise as such); otherwise untested

Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or practising professionals (a teachers' PD MOOC)	Offer a placement check to skip modules; replace content questions with an application task in their own workplace, with evidence of practice (a lesson plan, a recorded session, a reflection) reviewed against a rubric; consider stackable micro-credentials for the applied tasks.	One issuer reported that micro-credential stacks closed the gap between MOOC-Ed content and classroom practice [+W] (a q1 case report, no comparison)

Match the form and content of staff development interventions to clients' assessed Stages of Concern

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
People are experienced users (advanced in this innovation), or already show impact concerns	Drop introductory sessions; give time to look at student work and effects, to collaborate and to try modifications; keep a short check for leftover management problems	concerns moved from lower to higher stages over a year of use [+M] (associational, one curriculum); the matching move is untested

Minimize student frustration by making feedback clear, legible, focused, and transparent

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced writers, or already act on most comments	Fewer comments, aimed at higher-level features; let them choose the feature they want feedback on; a full tool report is acceptable	Students need clear guidance so they are not overwhelmed by Ecree's feedback, which may be most useful for advanced writers [~W] (one study, grade 8–11 English; the advanced-writer point is the brief's hedge)

Mnemonic Device

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or high-achieving on this content	Skip the mnemonic for items they can already organise; give retrieval practice and use tasks instead; offer a mnemonic only for a truly arbitrary list	In the few studies that split by ability, learning techniques helped low-ability students and not high-ability students [~M] (19 studies, all ten techniques pooled, not mnemonics alone)

Modality Principle

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners already know this content well, or have used the device or diagram before (advanced)	Give the diagram with little or no accompanying text or narration; make narration optional	The modality effect reverses with expertise [-M]

Modeling

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on this task, or succeed on the first item unaided	Skip the full model: let them attempt first, then compare their work with an expert model and name the differences; model only the one new decision	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (review of cognitive-load studies; no crossover point)

Motivation

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or already interested in the topic	Do not add tangible rewards or points for taking part; offer harder goals and choices of topic or product	Expected tangible rewards reduce later free-choice engagement with a rewarded task, while verbal praise does not [~S] (undermining is for tasks already found interesting); choice and challenge untested here

Multimodal Instruction

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are novice on this content and unfamiliar with its representations; or advanced	Novice: use words plus one visual type. Teach how to read it first (what the axes, arrows or symbols mean), add one explicit translation prompt per idea, and hold back a second visual type until learners can read the first. Advanced: cut to the most efficient representation, drop duplicating modes, and use translation tasks for checking rather than teaching.	Novice: multiple representations [~M] (the review ties the benefit to representational competence). Advanced: untested proposal (the claim pages discuss expertise reversal; no entry here tests it for modes)

Note-taking

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on the content, or already take selective notes	Skip guided notes and modelling; state the purpose, keep one recall review; let them choose the format	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (review of cognitive-load studies; not tested on note-taking aids)

Observation/Shadowing

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or experienced practitioners (in-service teachers, senior staff observing each other)	Let them set their own focus, observe whole live performances, and compare directly with their own practice; replace the designer's focus sheet with the observed person's question; shorten or drop the corrective part of the debrief	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (cognitive-load studies on instructional formats; carried to observation guidance)

Online Course Design (Community of Inquiry)

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or practitioners (an MBA, a professional course)	Use their work as the discussion material (cases from their own settings), let them facilitate earlier, and keep the content strand short; keep the fixed structure.	Template and organisation ratings [+W] from one accelerated online MBA, descriptive; the rest is the earlier page's guidance

Pairing Non-examples with Examples

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, or already discriminate the boundary on a check	Skip anchors and labelled pairs; give only borderline cases, or have them build non-examples for others and defend them	Expertise reversal [~S] (guidance in general, cognitive-load studies; gives no crossover point)

Peer Learning

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, or some are well ahead	Let the more knowledgeable explain to those meeting the material (cross-age or cross-level), with a role card so they question rather than tell; give them harder material to prepare	Older peers as tutors support gains for older and younger students [+W] (a narrative policy review, no data printed); Learning By Teaching Improves Tutor Learning [+S] for the explainer's side; first-year students in problem-based learning said selected and trained senior student tutors explained more clearly and in plainer terms than staff tutors [+W] (one focus group, perceptions only)

Peer Teaching

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Some learners are well ahead (advanced) or the school can use older pupils	Use cross-level or cross-age pairs: the learner ahead teaches with a role card that makes them question rather than tell, and gets harder material to prepare. Check the taught learner alone, not only the pair.	Older peers as tutors support gains for older and younger students [+W] (a narrative policy review, no data printed); limit: cross-age tutoring showed no effect on oral proficiency [~M]

Personalization

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are novice on this task, or advanced / already succeed on the first item	Novice: more worked steps and closer items, fewer choices. Advanced: skip guided sections after an unaided check and go to harder or transfer items	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (review of cognitive-load studies; gives no crossover point)

Phonics

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners already decode accurately (advanced for decoding)	Drop phonics lessons; give the screening only, teach the specific gaps it shows, and spend the time on fluency, vocabulary and comprehension	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (a cognitive-load review, carried to reading)

Positive Self-talk

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, or the skill is already automatic	Drop step cues; keep at most one motivational or focusing cue for pressure moments	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (cognitive-load studies of instructional formats; carried to self-talk untested)

Practice with Simulated People

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are experienced practitioners (advanced)	Drop the worked example, use harder scenarios with complications, and put the time into reflection after each attempt	Reflection phases did more at higher education levels [~M]

Procedural Learning

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on this procedure, or complete the first item unaided	Skip modelling and guided attempts; give mixed, spaced practice on full tasks and selective feedback, and refine weak components	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (cognitive-load studies; gives no crossover point)

Process-based Writing

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Writers are advanced in the genre (they already plan and revise globally)	Drop the scripted strategy and prompt cards; let the writer set the revision focus; keep one outside reader's response per piece	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (cognitive-load review, not writing); untested for writing

Professional development should guide teachers on integrating digital content and tools, not just offer technical know-how

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Teachers already operate the tool fluently (advanced users) but use it little in teaching	Drop the technical walkthrough; spend the whole first session on subject examples and planning one lesson; start the follow-up cycle at once	Teacher interviews: subject-specific use cases are the top stated PD need [+M] (stated need, 21 science teachers)

Project Space and Instructional Space

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or already hold most component skills	Test out of components at launch; freezes become rare and learner-requested; use the instructional space mainly for automaticity of routines; let them attempt conceptual gaps before any instruction.	Guidance advantage recedes with prior knowledge [~S] (the narrative review within that claim); timing untested

Responsive Teaching

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, or already on track at the first elicitation point	Keep the plan; one elicitation point to confirm, then move to harder or transfer items; drop the detour menu	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (cognitive-load studies; carried from guidance formats to teacher responsiveness)

Rhetorical Skill Development

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners already adapt to readers (advanced, experienced professionals)	Drop scripted move-by-move routines; set outcome goals (the reader's response); give harder audiences, hostile questions and critique of published texts	Process goals lead to better skill acquisition for novices than outcome goals. [~M] (suggests shifting to outcome goals after mastery; does not test advanced learners)

Self-Directed Learning

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or experienced in the domain	Skip the first stage of the arc; let them propose goals and resources from the start, with checkpoints every two weeks and a check of their criteria rather than their plan	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (cognitive-load review; gives no crossover point)

Sequencing

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on this target, or pass the prerequisite check	Skip the early stages; start at the first stage they cannot do unaided; drop the primer and the part-task runs; use problem-first and mixed practice from the start	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (a review of cognitive-load studies; gives no point at which to switch)

Signaling Principle

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners already know much of the material (advanced)	Drop the text–picture link cues; keep at most headings; let learners turn highlighting off	Signaling improves learning [~M] (signals harmed high-prior-knowledge eighth graders in one field study)

Simulations & Immersive Virtual Environments

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or practising professionals	Skip the primer and simplified runs; use unfamiliar or rare scenarios, time pressure and mixed cases; let learners lead the debrief against stated criteria	untested proposal; the part-task finding is for absolute novices only (Part-task practice reduces cognitive load for absolute novices [~M])
Learners' prior knowledge of the domain differs (novice vs advanced)	Give novices worked examples of an experiment or case before they run; give advanced learners reflection phases after the run; do not rely on prompts alone	Prior knowledge moderates scaffolding effectiveness [~M]; Presence versus absence of individual scaffolding types did not support the added-value hypothesis, but scaffolding combinations partly did [~M] (higher education)

Social Presence

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
advanced learners or experienced professionals	Shorten the social opening; move quickly to peer critique of each other's work and decisions; presence comes from the value of what peers offer	Peer monitoring [~W] (MBA interviews); otherwise untested

Strengths-based Approach

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on the task, or already confident	Little framing is needed: name strengths briefly and spend the time on harder, specific goals	Specific, difficult goals lead to higher performance than easy or vague "do your best" goals. [~M] (one narrative review, adult task performance; carried to classrooms)

Structured Peer Review

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or practising professionals	Let the author name the criteria and the questions to answer; drop frames and anchors; ask for one substantial alternative rather than a list of fixes; use the rubric as shared vocabulary, not a score sheet.	Rubric guidance [~M]: in a graduate course a rubric changed comment content and restrained reflective and divergent commentary

Teach response precision and new associations with minimal errors, using mediators and stimulus fading

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on these items, or already accurate on the first unaided round	Drop the mediators, cues and wide band; give mixed unaided items with correction only on misses	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (cognitive-load studies, carried to association and precision practice untested)

Teach the conceptual underpinnings of L2 forms rather than only their structural aspects or formulaic units

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, with long-standing errors on a form	This is the main case: spend the time on the diagnostic sample and the L1 contrast, take examples from learners' own work, and ask learners to notice their own uses rather than relying on paraphrase to avoid the form	core senses with diagrams [+M] (advanced learners); L1-induced errors persist in advanced learners and risk fossilization if learners rely on compensatory communication strategies [+W] (one learner's diary)

Technology should augment, not supplant, learning processes in student-centered environments

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or already competent on the task	Restrict the tool to critique of the learner's own finished work; where AI text is used, require the learner to verify and revise it	Same claim [~M]; Active engagement with AI outputs (cross-verifying, refining prompts, revising) supports productive learning and depends on learners' prior knowledge [~W] (reported second-hand: more experienced writers revised AI text more thoroughly)

Transfer of Learning

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, or already solve the taught case unaided	Skip the early stage; give unprompted varied and far cases with selective feedback, and ask learners to generate their own cases	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (review of cognitive-load studies; not about transfer designs)

Understanding must be cultivated through exploration, not described or told

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on the target, or already name and use the principle	Fewer, looser clues; learners set their own problems and lead the critique; the teacher only asks	The advantage of guidance begins to recede only when learners have sufficiently high prior knowledge to provide internal guidance [~M] (a review's statement; gives no crossover point)

Universal Design For Learning

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, or succeed on the first task unaided	Drop the extra representations and step-by-step supports by default and leave them available on request; widen choice of task and format	Instructional guidance that helps novices can become redundant or counterproductive as expertise grows. [~M] (cognitive-load studies; no crossover point given)

Use computer tools that let students explore hypotheses and solutions faster so they can test many ideas without frustration

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, or already design fair tests unaided	Let them set their own goal and test plan; drop the prompt sheet; review the plan briefly instead	The advantage of guidance begins to recede only when learners have sufficiently high prior knowledge to provide internal guidance [~M] (a review's statement; gives no threshold)

Workshop Model

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or already fluent in the practice	Cut the mini-lesson to a teaching point and one model (3–5 minutes) or let learners choose a clinic; give the time to work; use conferences to extend rather than repair.	Guidance can become redundant as expertise grows [~M]: circuit-diagram trainees and cognitive-load reviews (14 distinct studies in its table), carried to classroom workshops

Authentic Assessment

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or practitioners (final-year students, continuing professional education)	Drop most component practice; give an ill-structured task in which learners define part of the problem; one draft with practitioner feedback; judge by a practitioner panel.	Untested; from the earlier page

Cognitive Activation

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced for this relation	Drop the opening example and step-by-step prompts; give an unfamiliar case to explain, or two solutions to compare and choose between, and ask for a justification.	untested proposal

Concept Attainment

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or already use the concept	Skip the induction; give the definition and go straight to near misses and borderline cases, or ask them to generate the contrasting set.	Untested; from the earlier page

Constructive Alignment

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or professionals	Fewer, more integrated outcomes; assess on a realistic task in their own setting; cut practice of components they already perform.	Untested proposal

Criterion- and Norm-Referenced Testing

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or near the top of the range	Add items at the upper skills of the hierarchy, or a broader task, so the check is not at ceiling; if relative standing matters (an enrichment place), use a norm-referenced score from an above-level test and a work sample	untested proposal

Discussing Race

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced (graduate students, experienced practitioners, people with long lived experience of the topic)	Shorten the norm-setting to a check of existing norms; move to learner-chosen cases and learner-led segments from the second session; ask for analysis of a practice they control	untested proposal

Elaboration Theory

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are intermediate or advanced for this content	Replace the epitome with the elicitation sketch; start at the first level they cannot explain; drop syntheses they can already produce.	untested proposal; advance organizers [~M] found no special benefit for low-knowledge learners, so neither direction of an expertise effect is established for overviews

Epistemic Games

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced practitioners (continuing education, in-service)	Skip the early modelled sessions; build the unit around two or three atypical or breakdown cases; debrief on what their usual framing missed.	Untested; from the earlier page's "transformation" games

Evidence-Based Teaching and Scientific Reasoning

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Decision-makers are advanced (teacher-researchers, a district research office)	Skip summaries; read primary studies; run local trials with random assignment, through software where possible	Double-blind experimental design can be successfully implemented in CALL-based pedagogical intervention research [+W] (one language-learning software study; carried to other settings)

Experience with Languaging Activities (ELAs) guided by a sequence of experience-based questions

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced in the content	Make steps 2 and 3 implicit; spend the time on step 5, with learners generating questions and choosing the next source to answer them.	Untested proposal

Experiential Learning

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or experienced practitioners	Shorten the preparation, make the experience less structured, and have learners write their own debrief questions; keep the second attempt with feedback	untested proposal; the guided-inquiry claim's narrative review argues that the advantage of guidance recedes with prior knowledge, which no recorded study tests here

Experiential Learning Cycle

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or experienced practitioners	Skip the demonstration; make the first experience ill-structured; have learners write their own debrief questions from the first loop; keep the changed attempt with feedback.	Untested; the guided-discovery claim's narrative review argues the advantage of guidance recedes with prior knowledge, which no recorded study tests here

Flipped Learning

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on the topic, or professionals updating practice	Make pre-class material a short brief or a reading, and use the session for cases, disagreement and their own examples; drop the note-taking guide and the recap	untested proposal

Free-Choice Learning Environment Design

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or long-standing enthusiasts	Point them straight to the open or highest level and to the tools for building their own; invite them to be the peer expert for a challenge	untested proposal

Game-Based Mastery Learning

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, or already accurate	Placement check and test-out by level; harder settings (typed answers, mixed review) from the start; no points for easy items	Untested proposal; the earlier page's "difficulty should rise in response to growing skill"

Gamification

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, or already accurate	Let them test out of early levels on the step 4 check; give harder challenge levels rather than more points on easy items	untested proposal

Harmonize opposites: strike a balance between competing educational ideas rather than embracing one method wholesale

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, or already pass the knowledge check	Skip most of the knowledge-serving method; give the time to application, with one short knowledge re-check	untested proposal

Instructor Accessibility

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced (experienced professionals, final-year students)	Make contact on request and use it for critique of their work and for decisions they are unsure of, not explanation; keep the reply window but drop the required first contact	untested proposal (the expertise reasoning is on Ask Experts)

Journaling

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
advanced learners or practitioners	One open prompt about a decision or case, a fortnightly review entry, and peer reading in small groups; drop sentence starters.	untested proposal; peer interaction is a reported moderator in reflection interventions [~M], direction not stated on the claim page

Learning by Producing (multimedia production as learning)

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced in the content but new to the media	Skip the content investigation to a short review; spend the time on exemplars and media criteria; let learners choose the audience and write their own criteria.	Untested proposal

Memory Consolidation

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or already recall it on a delayed check	Drop it from the opening rotation; keep one item in cumulative checks; spend the time on newer material	untested proposal

Multiple Methods of Assessment

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, or adults with applied experience	Let them propose a method and the evidence it will produce, checked against the criteria before they start; accept work products from their practice	untested; from the earlier page (adults with rich applied experience)

Pre-reading Questioning

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Readers are advanced on the topic, or answer most questions before reading	Replace teacher questions with one higher-order question, or with the reader's own questions about what they still want to know	untested; the earlier page's caution against over-directing applies

Pretesting (Prequestions Before Study)

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or already answer most items	Drop the pretest; use retrieval practice after study instead, or pretest only the genuinely new content	untested; the recorded studies used new material

Programmed Instruction

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are intermediate or advanced, or vary widely in prior knowledge	Place each learner with unprompted unit items; let those at criterion take the unit check directly; give larger steps and fewer cues to the rest.	Untested proposal; faster step responses with higher proficiency [~W] is associational and from algebra tutors

Provide positive comments alongside constructive criticism when responding to student writing

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Writers are advanced or professional, and ask for critique	One strength comment where it marks something to keep; spend the response on critique at the level they ask for	untested proposal; the earlier page's balance is meant for developing writers

Quiet Learning Spaces

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced on the task, or already work steadily in the current setting	Keep the device rule; drop the timed block and tally, and let them choose their own place and sound	untested proposal

Reflection

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
advanced learners or practitioners	Use fewer, more open prompts; add peer discussion of cases; ask for alternatives considered and how the problem was framed, not a recount.	untested proposal; peer interaction is a moderator in reflection interventions [~M], direction not stated on the claim page; reframing: see the teacher-education row

Self-Directed Learning

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced or experienced practitioners in the field	Start at Stage B or C after the probe; let the learner draft the plan and the criteria, and keep only the checkpoints and the end comparison with an outside check.	Untested; carried from the earlier page's "some learners can self-direct immediately"

Self-monitoring

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, or their first checks already match an outside score	Start at the low-support stage: learner-chosen checkpoints, no printed checklist, a weekly outside check	Untested; the age and expertise moderators on the self-assessment claims (Self Assessment Accuracy Is Low Without Training [~M]: closer agreement in advanced courses) suggest it

Skills Sprint

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced, or experienced staff	Let them scope the deliverable and write the criteria; checkpoints become peer reviews; spend coach time on the debrief and on stretching the criteria	untested proposal; the late-sprint stage of the arc above

Structured Academic Controversy

Pattern

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Expertise advanced (graduate students, professionals who know the debate)	Cut preparation and the source pack. Spend the time on the reversal and synthesis. Raise the synthesis bar: name the evidence that would settle the disagreement.	untested proposal

Text-to-Speech

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are fluent readers of this text (advanced for its print), or the goal includes reading the words unaided	Do not build the lesson around speech; offer it as an optional control for fatigue or proofreading only, and keep it off during reading practice and any check of reading	untested; from the earlier page ("some learners comprehend better through print")

Video Replay Analysis

Principle

If the brief says…	Then change…	Basis
Learners are advanced (experienced practitioners)	Skip others' clips; let the practitioner choose the focus and clip from the first session; the coach asks and adds only what was missed	untested proposal; the coaching reports below are from in-service teachers (Video-based self-observation of teaching was among the most powerful parts of the coaching process for teachers [+W])