| Module 9: Transfer of Learning
"Understanding a concept …
involves the sum of knowledge one has about [a topic]... not just the amount of knowledge
Educational theorists have sought answers to explain the process of learning and transfer for centuries. Through this research we now understand that meaningful experiences can inspire learners to build personal connections to concepts or skills being taught. (White p.157) By activating these personal connections, learners are able to effectively transfer constructed knowledge to related, but dissimilar, problems (Solomon p.114). What causes someone to take a learned concept or skill and apply it to a problem encountered in a different context? How does a child learn to communicate in such a relatively short span of time? What is behind the resurgence of self-directed learning and individualized instruction today called Constructivism? Perhaps these questions hold something in common. Each of these causes us to consider the elements in learning environments that allow a learner to retain, and make use of information in new contexts. Transfer of learning is especially important in work environments and in programs to educate people for those work environments. Whether it is welding, preparing for a courtroom presentation or calibrating an electronic device, it is important that students transfer their learning into the real world of work. We know that most students do not transfer classroom learning readily to the real world. Special effort must be made when designing assignments and learning environments, if students are to transfer their learning to the work world in a meaningful way. This is not easily done so transfer effects can be predicted across large groups of learners. To help understand it Salomon and Perkins (1989) use concepts like distance, which in a discussion of transfer refers to the degree of similarity or novelty of the tasks which students are expected to complete successfully outside the learning environment. A second concept they discuss is amount of transfer which involves how much difference learning one thing makes to the learning of another. A third important concept here is that of inert knowledge. Students who do not recall something, or do not see the relationship between it and the new task or instance, cannot make use of their knowledge. How this problem may be addressed is of ongoing interest to instructional designers. Salomon and Perkins (1989) also discuss methods of approaching the transfer of learning. The 'low road' is the one most commonly used by instructional designers. The use of varied practice and practice to automaticity are ways of achieving this. These concepts also have parallel ideas which are being used by constructivists in their discussions of learning. For example, very young children learn to speak in the very context in which they live. Parents, caregivers, friends and siblings turn everything they touch into an opportunity for learning. Personal connections are formed between language and their ability to understand and manipulate the world around them. As they grow older they are able to transfer this knowledge of language in to a very broad range of contexts and problems. This example reflects many principles of Constructivism: learning takes place in context; it is functional; it builds on knowledge previously learned; imitation and feedback play a key role; and the need and purpose for the learning are often stated. (Berryman p.3) Constructivist theorists would name the practical, applied approach of this learning as the key to its dramatic success (Honnebein p.11). This approach to learning may indeed provide powerful insights for instructional designers. The chapter in Caffarella talks very directly about practical ways of ensuring that learning can result in "effective application by program participants of what they learned as a result of attending an educational program" (p. 109). In Salomon and Perkins language she is concerned with 'near transfer' and 'trivial transfer.' Caffarella's holistic and very practical overview of dealing with transfer can provide some ways to begin bridging between the conceptual ideas of Salomon and Perkins and the practice of instructional design. By becoming more aware of activities and contexts that create meaningful learning, instructional designers are better able to build programs that prepare workers for the real world environment. This module presents you with readings and activities that ask you to consider and identify the factors that assist learners in creating valuable connections that in turn facilitate learning transference.
In this module you are asked to read the following two articles and participate in the threads in the online conference. Activity 1: As you read reflect on transfer of learning in your own learning experiences. What do you think were the learning activities and strategies which best permitted you to transfer learning from basic to advanced concepts, from one set of tasks to another, and from basic learning to actually doing tasks in the real world. Activity 2: Visit an expedition recap at the Jason Project site and the case study within the Virtual Hospital. Participate in the online discussions of the usefulness of the computer based activities found at these sites in promoting the transfer of learning. The Jason Project (make sure
to check out some past expeditions) The Virtual Hospital: Clubfoot: Treatment of Congenital
Clubfoot Curry School Frog Disection: References White, Richard T. (1992). Implications of Recent Research on Learning for Curriculum and Assessment, in Journal of Curriculum Studies. Vol. 24, no 2, pp. 153 – 164. Gagne, Robert and Marcy Perkins Driscoll, (1988). Essentials of Learning for Instruction. NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc. Berryman, S. Designing Effective Learning Environments: Cognitive Apprenticeship Models [Online]. http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/k12/livetext/docs/berry1.html Honnebein, P. Seven Goals for the Design of Constructivist Learning Environments. p.11 – 24. |
