Learning and Transfer

This is Chapter 3 in the very useful book:

National Research Council (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind,

Experience, and School. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

What is “transfer?”

• Transfer has been defined as “the ability to extend what has been learned in one context to new contexts.” (p51)

Training versus Education

Key characteristics of learning and transfer that have important implications for education:

1. High quality Initial learning is necessary for transfer;2. Knowledge that is overly contextualized can reduce

transfer; abstract representations of knowledge can help promote transfer;

3. Transfer is best viewed as an active, dynamic process rather than a passive end-product of a particular set of learning experiences;

4. All new learning involves transfer based on previous learning, and this fact has important implications for the design of instruction that helps students learn.

1. High quality initial learning is necessary for transfer.

Elements that promote initial learning:Constructing understanding vs memorizing (e.g., converting mixed numbers to improper

fractions); Spending sufficient time before moving on

(spiral curriculum…); Motivation to learn matters – both extrinsic and intrinsic. Students are often more motivated to

learn when there are social connections and implications to their work.

2. Knowledge that is overly contextualized can reduce transfer; abstract representations of knowledge can help promote transfer.

“Research has indicated that transfer across contexts is especially difficult when a subject is taught only in a single context rather than in multiple contexts.” (p.62)

This is one of the problems with PBL. Engaging in “what-if” problem extension exercises, changing parts of the problem and asking for flexible thought increases the likelihood of transfer. Good teachers know their learning target, provide multiple contexts, and representations and work toward abstraction.

3. Transfer is best viewed as an active, dynamic process rather than a passive end-product of a particular set of learning experiences;

Metacognition, monitoring one’s own thinking and problem solving efforts, increases the chances of transfer as learners actively choose and evaluate strategies, consider resources and make use of feedback both from assessors and from the problem situation. In order to increase effective transfer, teachers need to use assessment (formal, informal, formative and summative) to monitor students’ conceptions and misconceptions and give effective feedback.

4. All new learning involves transfer based on previous learning.

Teachers must be aware of prior knowledge and lack thereof that students bring to school. The more they can use settings and contexts that make connections to what students know, the better. (p 71-2)

Teachers need to balance contextualized examples that appeal to prior learning and abstract representations of these experiences.