Pattern languages are an idea developed by Christopher Alexander in the field of architecture. Rather than collecting a scrapbook of ideas and plans that fit in various houses (or classes, etc.) and using trial-and-error or accumulated experience to guess which will be the best fit for a given situation, a pattern focuses on abstracting the characteristics of a successful instantiation that are responsible for it being successful and then crystallizing those successful elements in a pattern. This means that a single pattern can both represent and generate thousands of different solutions that meet similar needs in different settings. In addition to the power of the pattern itself, the pattern language also reveals the relationships between patterns, so that better supported wholes can be built because the language helps identify the crucial sub-parts needed for a pattern's success.

While patterns have been known in architecture for decades and have found a strong following in computer science, they are only slowly emerging in other fields. I feel that patterns have the potential to assist in the educational reform that teachers at all levels are constantly involved in. My research interests lie in identifying existing patterns that have been revealed through research and locating additional patterns already in use in good instruction but not recognized as patterns. This is the beginning of formulating a language that will allow chemistry instructors to talk more easily about what is going on and what they would like to see in their classes and curricula.

• The Hillside Group maintains a good pattern site, including information about PLoP conferences
• patternlanguage.com is Christopher Alexander's personal website about patterns in architecture and their use
• The Pedagogical Patterns Project a group of folks who are working on building patterns about instruction
• Information about Computer Science Senior Assignment team that wrote software for this project