Presentation Outline

Experts and

Novices

Learning

and Transfer

Children and

Learning

Common

Themes

Experts and Novices:Six Key Points

1. Pattern Recognition2. Knowledge and Organization of

Subject Matter3. Conditionalized Knowledge4. Effortless Retrieval / Fluency5. Pedagogical Knowledge versus

Subject Knowledge6. Adaptive Expertise and

Metacognition

1. Pattern Recognition

Expert 2: . . . I haven't heard a bell, but the students are already at their desks and seem to be doing purposeful activity, and this is about the time that I decide they must be an accelerated group . . .

Experts quickly recognize patterns in data.

Novice 1: . . . I can't tell what they are doing. They're getting ready for class, but I can't tell what they're doing.

1. Pattern RecognitionExperts quickly recognize

patterns in data.

2. Knowledge and Organization of Subject

MatterExperts have deep knowledge organized around “big ideas”.

Expert

Novice

3. Conditionalized Knowledge

Experts know “when, where and why” to use relevant knowledge.

Exhaustive searches for

relevant knowledge

overwhelm working

memory.So “conditionalize”

knowledge on the contexts

where it is useful.

4. Effortless Retrieval / Fluency

Fluent knowledge retrieval allows experts to focus on the important

parts of a problem.

Just like language…

5. Pedagogical Knowledge versus Subject Knowledge

Being an expert in an area is not the same as being a good teacher.

• Experts can forget what is difficult in learning their subject

• Pedagogical knowledge is more than just the facts

• Pedagogical knowledge varies across subjects

6. Adaptive Expertise and Metacognition

Experts reflect on their own knowledge.

“Artisans”, “Virtuosos” and “Accomplished Novices”

Learning

and Transfer

Learning and Transfer:Main Points

1. Memorization versus Transfer

2. Initial Learning3. Feedback and

Metacognition4. Learning in

Multiple Contexts5. Previous Learning

and Culture

1. Memorization versus Transfer

Throwing darts

underwater

b

h

Area = h x bLearning geometry

• Building a significant body of knowledge is important

• It takes time to integrate knowledge and to explore concepts

• 100,000 hours to become a chess master!

2. Initial Learning

3. Feedback and Metacognition

• Sometimes students need prompting to facilitate transfer:“Can you think of something you did earlier?”

• Make students aware of the problem-solving process

4. Learning in Multiple Contexts

• Over-contextualized knowledge makes transfer difficult

• Shared cognitive elements (versus shared surface structure) facilitate transfer

Learning multiple word-

processors

5. Previous Learning and Culture

Avoiding Misinterpretation

Building on Prior Knowledge

Acknowledging Cultural

Background

Children and

Learning

Children and Learning:Key Points

1. Privileged Domains

2. Learning Strategies and Metacognition

3. Guided Learning

1. Privileged Domains

• Physics• Biology• Numbers• Language

2. Learning Strategies and Metacognition

• Information Processing– “Chunking” facts to deal with larger

sets of information– Gradual development of

metacognition– Children develop and use multiple

strategies

• “Entity Theories” versus “Incremental Theories”

3. Guided Learning• Scaffolding: Facilitating children’s

interest and helping to manage forward progress

• Reading stories• “Zone of Proximal Development”

Common

Themes

Common Themes

• Expert skills are things to be learned– Fluency requires background

knowledge and time– Metacognition and Adaptive

Expertise are as important as “the facts”

– Conditionalized knowledge comes from applying knowledge to diverse situations

A Conversational Framework

Diana Laurillard. Rethinking University Teaching: A Conversational Framework for the Effective Use of

Educational Technology, 2nd edition. London: Routledge, 2002.