Teaching for transfer of core/key skills in higher education: Cognitive skills

Abstract

This article is a result of a completed survey of the mainly cognitive science literature on the transferability of those skills which have been described variously as 'core', 'key', and 'generic'. The literature reveals that those predominantly cognitive skills which have been studied thoroughly (mainly problem solving) are transferable under certain conditions. These conditions relate particularly to the methods and environment of the learning of these skills. Therefore, there are many implications for the teaching of key skills in higher education, which the article draws out, following a summary of the main findings of the research literature. Learning of principles and concepts facilitates transfer to dissimilar problems, as it creates more flexible mental representations, whereas rote learning of facts discourages transfer. Transfer is fostered when general principles of reasoning are taught together with self-monitoring practices and potential applications in varied contexts. Training in reasoning and critical thinking is only effective for transfer, when abstract principles and rules are coupled with examples. Transfer is promoted when learning takes place in a social context, which fosters generation of principles and explanations. Transfer improves when learning is through co-operative methods, and where there is feedback on performance with training examples. The specificity of the context in which principles are learned reduces their transfer. Transfer is promoted if learners are shown how problems resemble each other, if they are expected to learn to do this themselves, if they are aware of how to apply skills in different contexts, if attention is directed to the underlying goal structure of comparable problems, if examples are varied and are accompanied by rules or principles (especially if discovered by the learners), and if learners' self-explanations are stimulated. Learning to use meta-cognitive strategies is especially important for transfer.

Separate or Integrate? The Contribution of the Workshop Model to Effectively Embedding Generic Skills

“…A social context has been shown to encourage a better understanding of principles as it facilitates greater discussion including self-explanation, an important meta-cognitive skill (Atkinson et al, 2000). This, in turn, facilitates the transfer of generic skills to the work context (Billing, 2007). As one of the key aims of a generic skills education is to equip graduates with employment-ready skills, this represents a key strength of this approach.…”

Universidad Y Desarrollo Social

“…En este sentido, en el ejercicio de producción de conocimientos, en el ejercicio de adquisición de competencias (Billing, 2007) o en el ejercicio de hacer aplicables los conocimientos en el entorno, subyace una orientación pragmática guiada por la competitividad productiva (Lefrere, 2007). De manera que, en la medida que las personas, las instituciones o los Estados consiguen participar de estas dinámicas, estarían consiguiendo aumentar sus propias posibilidades económicas y, a partir de éstas, sus posibilidades de realización social (García-Aracil y Van der Velden, 2006).…”

“…La concepción sintética, dinámica y en continua actualización de la calidad en este marco (Santiago et al, 2008;Altbach et al, 2009) se dota de contenido a través de elementos que, en definitiva, permiten atender con garantías a los objetivos de fondo efectivos otorgados en cada perspectiva a la educación superior. Así, por ejemplo, han pasado a ser relacionadas con la educación de calidad: la 'atención a los agentes de interés' de la sociedad (Santiago et al, 2008); la inclusión en los programas educativos de 'competencias clave/genéricas/transversales/…' (Billing, 2007;Ten Dam y Volman, 2007;Santiago et al, 2008;Rychen y Salganik, 2003 28 ); o las actuaciones de 'movilidad' internacional por parte de estudiantes y de personal docente e investigador (Santiago et al, 2008;Altbach et al, 2009). Todos ellos son elementos con un marcado carácter formal 29 en su planteamiento general y con potencial para ser adaptados a una multiplicidad de objetivos sustantivos vinculados a las diversas facetas del desarrollo social; pero que, a la postre, en esta perspectiva, pasan a ser concretados en lo sustantivo de forma particularmente importante por las dinámicas de competitividad económico-laborales (crecientemente globalizadas) vigentes.…”

The psychological dimension of transformation in teacher learning

“…Both what and how learners transfer what they have learned in one situation to a new situation are important, and problematic, questions confronting education (Goldstone & Wilensky, 2008). Transfer is influenced by factors such as: the generalisability of the intended learning (principles and concepts versus facts); the sophistication of learner self-monitoring and self-explanations; the role of others; the nature and extent of feedback; and the extent to which self-regulation is required (Billing, 2007). As well as there being no common understanding of optimum balance between content and cognitive processing (Prøitz, 2010), cognitive processing implicates an array of intellectual skills, the full range of which may not be in pedagogical focus (Flores, Matkin, Burbach, Quinn, & Harding, 2010).…”