Macro-Design · Applicable to 1-hour sessions through to full multi-week academic modules.

Laurillard's Six Learning Types (ABC Learning Design)

A pedagogical taxonomy derived from the Conversational Framework that categorizes student learning activities into six distinct modes. It provides a practical, intuitive language for educators to map out the student journey and ensure a balanced mix of active and passive learning experiences.

When to use Laurillard's Six Learning Types (ABC Learning Design)

Ideal during the initial design or rapid redesign of a course, particularly when transitioning to blended or online formats or when seeking to diversify instructional methods.

How Laurillard's Six Learning Types (ABC Learning Design) works

Facilitators can use these types to storyboard a curriculum or session by mapping specific activities to each type, ensuring that the design moves beyond simple content delivery to include social and experiential elements.

Phases of Laurillard's Six Learning Types (ABC Learning Design)

  1. Acquisition
  2. Investigation
  3. Practice
  4. Discussion
  5. Collaboration
  6. Production

Key principles

  • Pedagogical diversity over content delivery
  • Student-centered activity mapping
  • Alignment of technology tools with specific learning behaviors
  • Collaborative design through a shared pedagogical language

Best for

  • Blended learning design
  • Curriculum storyboarding
  • Digital transformation of teaching
  • Collaborative course planning

Considerations

  • Acquisition (passive learning) is often over-represented in traditional design and should be balanced with active types
  • The framework is designed to be accessible to non-experts without requiring deep knowledge of educational theory
  • Effective implementation requires selecting the right tools (analog or digital) to support each specific learning type

Attribution & sources

Developed by Professor Diana Laurillard (2002, 2012) as part of the Conversational Framework.

Primary source

Design a session with Laurillard's Six Learning Types (ABC Learning Design)

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