Learning and Transfer

After reading the chapter on Learning and Transfer, I took some time to remember my own learning and teaching experiences in school. Transfer is basically the ability to extend what has been learned in one context to new contexts. I learned to draw sort of mind maps in my science classes in elementary school and this same skill has been improved and used over the years until this very same day. Learning is effective when people engage in doing things that includes active monitoring of one's learning experiences. However, it is important to provide time for students to process information. My best memories of learning in school were in those subjects where I was given time to give solutions to problems applying my creativity.

One principle of learning is that all learning involves transfer from previous experiences. This had sometimes bad implications in the way students approached the solution of problems. In programming, they would start out by writing actual code which was the way they solved other problems. I had to make them understand that first is the algorithm and then the code. Make students’ thinking visible will allow them to reconceptualise faulty conceptions.

Transfer can be improved in various ways. One approach is to help students become aware of themselves as learners who monitor their learning strategies and resources, while assessing their readiness for particular performances. I used to teach a course called Computer Studies in years 9-10. Students had to be taught a programming language in order to create an application. From the start of the year, they were encouraged to evaluate their levels of mastery in actual coding skills. They had to do this continuously.

Motivation is another aspect that enhances transfer of learning. Nonetheless, it has to be accompanied by the setting of adequate levels of challenges. I remember teaching Visual Basic to my students. One task was to create a tutorial application for children in Pre-K to learn the alphabet, where they would combine text, images and sounds of animals. So initially, they were really motivated by the task. They were shown an example program which helped them get a feel of what was to be accomplished. In the end, they produced wonderful tutorials, but what kept their motivation? Perhaps because they knew that their work would be compiled and sent in a CD to the Pre-K section for children play with it. They saw the usefulness of what they were going to do which in turn was going to have an impact on others.

Talking about programming, I had to struggle to motivate girls into choosing Computing classes. The idea that computing is for boys only or the nerds, was a hard cultural case to fight in the mentality of girls who have a misconception of this field.

To end, I think that learning should revolve around helping people solve authentic problems related to their everyday life. Learning with examples of wide application of concepts, will develop a flexible representation of our knowledge.