Cognitive tutors : technology bringing learning science to the classroom

This is the preprint of "Cognitive tutors : technology bringing learning science to the classroom". Original version should be found at publisher's website : http://www.cambridge.org/gb/knowledge/isbn/item1172372/?site_locale=en_GBIntroduction : "Individual tutoring is perhaps the first instructional method. It dates back at least to Socrates and the Socratic method. Although one-to-one tutoring by expert human tutors has been shown to be much more effective than typical oneto- many classroom instruction (Bloom, 1984), it has not been economical to provide every child with an individual tutor. Lectures and books became pervasive in education to spread knowledge at lower cost. However, increasing capabilities of computer hardware and software have been creating new opportunities to bring one-to-one tutoring to more students. Furthermore, computer technology provides an opportunity to systematically incorporate advances in learning science into the classroom, to test associated principles of learning, and best adapt them to the needs of students and teachers." (http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic603902.files/KoedingerCorbett05.pdf