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ED 260-Educational Psychology. Ashley Swanson. This Week’s Topics. Module 13-Transfer of Skills and Knowledge Module 14-Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. Module 13- Transfer of Knowledge and Skills. Information Transfer.
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ED 260-Educational Psychology Ashley Swanson
This Week’s Topics • Module 13-Transfer of Skills and Knowledge • Module 14-Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Information Transfer • Transfer: influence of prior knowledge, skills, strategies, or principles on new learning. • Types of Transfer • Positive Transfer • Negative Transfer • Zero Transfer
Specific vs. General Transfer • Doctrine of formal discipline = general • Theory of identical elements = specific
Low Road vs. High Road Transfer • Low Road Transfer-automatic transfer of a skill that is highly practiced • Key characteristic: automaticity • High Road Transfer-conscious application of knowledge from one situation to another • Key characteristic: mindful abstraction
High Road Transfer • Types of high road transfer • Problem-solving transfer • Analogical transfer • Forward-reaching transfer • Backward-reaching transfer
High Road Transfer • Individuals seldom transfer school-learned knowledge to real-life contexts • Instruction relies on rote memorization • Similarities of learning and transfer contexts • See Table 13.1 on page 230 • Information was not connected to “real life situations”
Classroom Application • Principles for fostering information transfer: • Develop automaticity of skills • Promote meaningful learning • Teach metacognitive strategies • Motivate students to value learning
Higher-Order Thinking • Higher-Order Thinking: the complex cognitive processes that involve transforming and applying knowledge, skills, and ideas
Image borrowed from: http://juliaec.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/blooms_taxonomy.jpg
Thinking Dispositions • Thinking Disposition: one’s thinking preferences, attitudes, and intentions and the capabilities that allow these preferences to be recognized by the thinker. • Truth seeking • Open-mindedness • Analytical thinking • Systematic planning • Intellectual curiosity • Confidence in reasoning and evidence • Metacognition • A thinking disposition is a personal attribute, while a thinking skill is a cognitive strategy.
Critical Thinking • Critical Thinking: The process of evaluating the accuracy and worth of information and lines of reasoning • Critical thinking skills must be explicitly taught • Instructional Strategies: • Questioning during class discussion • Application of writing techniques • Hypothesis testing • Inductive and deductive reasoning • Argument analysis
Problem Solving • Problem: situation in which one is trying to reach a goal and is trying to figure out how to reach that goal • Well-defined problems-goal is clearly stated • Ill-defined problems-goal is unclear and information is mission • Problem Solving: The means we use to reach a goal in spite of obstacles • Problem solving requires a range of skills that develop at different rates. Children’s approaches to problems solving vary based on their experiences
Teaching Problem Solving Strategies • Many problem solving strategies tend to be more content specific. • It is important to also teach students strategies that can be used across contexts, so that they have tools to use in area where they have little experience I-Identify the problem D-Define goals E-Explore possible strategies A- Anticipate outcomes L-Look back and learn
Teaching Problem Solving Strategies • Algorithms: predetermined sequence of steps for achieving the goal • Formal steps • Accurate answer • Heuristics: general strategy that may lead to the correct answer or answer that is reasonable close • Informal rules of thumb • Approximations
Heuristics • Means-end analysis: major goal is divided into sub goals • Working-backward strategy: Start with final goal and think backwards to determine the steps to achieve the goal • Analogical thinking: limiting solutions to situations to those that are most similar to current situation
Teaching Problem Solving Strategies • Problem-Based Learning: hands on learning that is organized around investigation and resolution of ill-defined, real world problems. • Emphasis on personal responsibility and self-directedness • Challenges of Problem-Based Learning: • May be challenging for some students because of added personal responsibility • Can be confusing for students because of self-directed nature
Main Sources: Bohlin, L., Durwin, C. C., & Reese-Weber, M. (2009). EdPsych: Modules. New York: McGraw-Hill