Through her research, Brown and her colleagues hypothesized that some metacognitive strategies, such as general
problem solving routines like summarizing and self-testing, had advantages over other strategies i.e.
mnemonic instruction. Instead of recalling relative meaningless material, studies moved towards connecting the material, which allowed Brown to move towards further research in text comprehension. Brown also pioneered the use of Design-based research in educational studies. Brown used the approach to study student learning in realistic classroom environments, rather than in controlled laboratory settings.
Fostering Community of Learners Fostering Community of Learners (FCL) was a program launched by Brown along with her husband Joseph Campione while at the
University of California, Berkeley. The project was noted to be similar to earlier reform methods such as
progressive education, and discovery learning. Critics questioned how Brown and Campione's project of FCL would differ from Dewey and perhaps succeed where Dewey did not. In FCL, students were encouraged to design their own learning through a curriculum they prepared themselves therefore acting as collaborative researchers. A teacher, or guide, is then responsible for modeling, fostering, and guiding the process of discovery into forms of disciplined examination. The project also utilized
reciprocal teaching, which allowed students to study and share their expertise with a group and discuss material they have prepared themselves. The curriculum of a FCL classroom was a key feature to the program. Depending on the curricula, the classroom activity fostered various themes and units that aided in the further development of the student. Biological themes included interdependence and adaptation while environmental science themes included balance, competition, and cooperation. Through the Brown and Campione team, the FCL research enhanced the interaction between classroom and laboratory research. Research conducted in a laboratory allowed a better understanding of the developmental patterns demonstrated by children and in turn gave rise to classroom observations in which hypotheses could be systematically explore in relatively controlled environments. ==Works==