Learning 'How' Versus Learning 'When': Improving Transfer of Problem-Solving Principles

Abstract

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Compared with what? The effects of different comparisons on conceptual knowledge and procedural flexibility for equation solving.

“…Students started a new packet each day and did not return to finish incomplete packets from the previous day. (Schwartz & Bransford, 1998;Tennyson & Tennyson, 1975;VanderStoep & Seifert, 1993).…”

“…Comparing problem types should lead to abstraction of fairly general solution steps that should support some procedural transfer and flexibility (Gick & Paterson, 1992;VanderStoep & Seifert, 1993).…”

“…In the current context, teachers may err by having students compare two trivially different solutions to the same problem (e.g., for the problem 3x + 2 = 5x + 7, comparing subtracting 3x from both sides first versus subtracting 2 from both sides first (Cummins, 1992;Gick & Paterson, 1992;VanderStoep & Seifert, 1993).…”

Translation of Research Into Practice: Why We Can't "Just Do It"

“…Hence, much remains to be done to develop and deploy methods of reinforcing and practicing new knowledge within the context of its application. One approach is to develop more realistic primary care case simulations (current classroom problem-based learning approaches may approximate the clinical context quite poorly 25 ). Based on theories of human learning, simulations should include features such as exposure to a series of related cases, guided instruction for initial rule application, structured or "scaffolded" lessons, and especially, making use of the contextual cues present in the clinic visit, including multiple medical problems, patient psychosocial concerns, and physical setting and administrative details.…”

“…For example, a new rule may not be encoded with the most appropriate conditions, so it may occasionally be accessed when it is in fact not needed. 25 This process of respecifying the conditions for applying the rule, called tuning, may require extensive practice in varied instances before the rule is reliably matched only when appropriate. 13 Compounding the problem is that, unlike in specialty practice, the primary care patient is unlikely to have the same problem as the last patient, so an entirely different set of rules may be accessed every few minutes.…”