Transfer
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To be completely honest, I knew nothing about transfer before we learned about it. I might have talked about it in another psychology class, but I did not retain any knowledge about it. I learned a lot about transfer, but I will mention the things that I found to be most important that I had learned.
One of the things that I learned was that rote memorization is not helpful for transfer. I found this rather funny because in grade school I felt that rote memorization was greatly encouraged. We would do flash cards over and over again of simple math problems, like four multiplied by two. This is also sometimes used in languages when people try to use rote memorization to learn vocab words. For me this does work for the test but within a day or so I have forgotten most of the words which is the complete opposite of what is desired. After learning this, I plan on using the words to learn them better rather than trying to use rote memorization to learn them.
Another thing that I learned about transfer is that some people believe that by learning certain subject areas, people could improve their logical thinking. The Doctrine of formal discipline states that the study of subjects such as Latin or geometry could improve a person's logical thinking. I could see how this would be the case, but it is still a little confusing for me. After learning this, I plan on valuing those types of subjects more; I will try to learn them well so that I may possibly better myself in the process.
The third important thing that I learned about transfer is that there are many kinds of transfer, and depending on how you learned a skill or topic determines how you may or may not use it in the future. Simple tasks are performed very easily, such as tying one's shoe. There are also concepts or facts that are not as easy but if learned well can be recalled, such as the multiplication tables. Depending on how we learn it and how useful it can be in our daily lives influences the kind of transfer it is. I plan on studying German grammar more now because it seems that by studying more it could possibly help me to use the grammar which I had learned in my speech more.
Powerpoint Questions
1) The specific versus general view of transfer is quite different from high road versus low road transfer. Specific versus general view of transfer talks about how subjects correlate to transfer. For the general view of transfer, it is believed that the studying of certain subjects such as Latin and geometry has the potential to improve the students' logical thinking. Their improved logical thinking would then have an effect on other subject areas. The actual material learned would not be transferred, but the improvement of logical thinking would help in other subjects. The specific view of transfer, however, states that transfer will occur between two learning tasks if the new skill or material contains elements that are identical to a skill or material from the original task. The general view holds that certain subjects will better the student and therefore the studying of that subject will improve learning in other subject areas, whereas the specific view holds that identical skills or material will be transferred. Low road transfer is when highly practiced skills are transferred with little need for thinking. High road transfer is where the person consciously focuses on applying skills, knowledge, or a strategy from one situation to another. Low road transfer has skills or actions that have been repeated so many times that focusing on doing the task is no longer necessary, whereas high road needs the focus in order for the transfer to occur. The specific versus general view of transfer focuses how on the subject being studied creates transfer and the low road versus high road transfer focuses on the need or lack of focus during transfer. Both specific versus general view of transfer and the low road versus high road show different ways of transfer. The general view of transfer is like low-road transfer because it does not require any focus during the transfer. High road and the specific view of transfer are alike because they both require focus during the transfer. The specific versus general view of transfer and the high road versus low road transfer are alike in that one part of each has a lack of focus and the other needs focus but they are also different because they focus on different ways that transfer occurs.
2) High road transfer is more difficult to achieve than low road transfer because one has to concentrate on transferring a skill, knowledge, or strategy. In low road transfer, the action or skill has been done so many times that it can be done with little to no focus. An example of this would be tying one's shoe. A person can tie their shoe and have a conversation with someone at the same time without the person tying the shoe incorrectly. In high road transfer, the person must focus on what he or she is trying to transfer over in order to do it successfully. One cannot try to make figure out the measurements for a double batch of cookies and hold a conversation with another person at the same time. The person would most likely mess up the measurements and make mediocre cookies.
3) Four teaching principles that support transfer are: develop automaticity of skills, promote meaningful learning, teach metacognitive strategies, and motivate students to value learning. Developing automaticity of skills facilitates transfer because it helps students develop low road transfer and then high road transfer. When students develop automaticity of skills, they should be able to do it without a lot of focus. Once they are able to, they are then able to use that information to help with other situations they encounter. An example would be learning the multiplication tables and then moving on later in life to calculus. If one does not know the multiplication tables well, it will take them a long time to do their homework. When they start solving algebraic equations, they will use the multiplication tables to help solve them (high road transfer). Promoting meaningful learning supports transfer because high road transfer relies on meaningful learning. In order to use high road transfer well, the student must possess deep-level knowledge that is connected to other concepts. Teaching metacognitive strategies is necessary for transfer because it is needed in order to identify appropriate transfer situations. The student must know how and when to use prior knowledge and when to use the knowledge that will be most useful. This is particularly important in math when there are multiple ways to solve a problem but only a couple ways that are better and easier than the rest. By having metacognitive strategies, students are able to choose whether or not prior knowledge, or transfer, should be used. Motivating students to value learning is particularly important for transfer. By motivating students to value learning, they will use transfer more and also use higher levels of transfer.
Am I Using Transfer?
I would say that I am thoughtful of the principles of transfer in this course. There are a lot of things in the course that I enjoy learning about because I know that in three years when I am hopefully setting up my first classroom and preparing for my first teaching job, it is definitely going to help me. In the future, I know that I will use the information learned in this course in my other education classes and also when I get a job. Because I know I will not remember it all, I think I will keep my notes and possibly my book as well just so I can look back at some things throughout time and remember the useful information I learned and put it to good use. I am also trying to make sure that the information is actually learned and not just temporarily stored in my short-term memory. I do not want the information that I learn to go to waste because I know that it will be useful very soon for me. Almost all of the information that I learn in this course I find extremely interesting and useful for me; the only things I do not find useful for my job are those things specifically for other subjects being taught that are not foreign languages. I also plan on trying to study the material multiple times so that I put it into my long term memory instead of my short term memory and create examples of useful times for this knowledge. I find this course's information very relevant and important for me and I hope to be able to retain it and use it in a few years.
Image URL: http://www.homeroomteacher.com/images/flashcards.jpg
http://www.eduguide.org/education/article_images/istock_laflor-3-little-girl-standing-next-to-a-chalk-board-with-math-problems-c.jpg
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One of the things that I learned was that rote memorization is not helpful for transfer. I found this rather funny because in grade school I felt that rote memorization was greatly encouraged. We would do flash cards over and over again of simple math problems, like four multiplied by two. This is also sometimes used in languages when people try to use rote memorization to learn vocab words. For me this does work for the test but within a day or so I have forgotten most of the words which is the complete opposite of what is desired. After learning this, I plan on using the words to learn them better rather than trying to use rote memorization to learn them.
Another thing that I learned about transfer is that some people believe that by learning certain subject areas, people could improve their logical thinking. The Doctrine of formal discipline states that the study of subjects such as Latin or geometry could improve a person's logical thinking. I could see how this would be the case, but it is still a little confusing for me. After learning this, I plan on valuing those types of subjects more; I will try to learn them well so that I may possibly better myself in the process.
The third important thing that I learned about transfer is that there are many kinds of transfer, and depending on how you learned a skill or topic determines how you may or may not use it in the future. Simple tasks are performed very easily, such as tying one's shoe. There are also concepts or facts that are not as easy but if learned well can be recalled, such as the multiplication tables. Depending on how we learn it and how useful it can be in our daily lives influences the kind of transfer it is. I plan on studying German grammar more now because it seems that by studying more it could possibly help me to use the grammar which I had learned in my speech more.
Powerpoint Questions
1) The specific versus general view of transfer is quite different from high road versus low road transfer. Specific versus general view of transfer talks about how subjects correlate to transfer. For the general view of transfer, it is believed that the studying of certain subjects such as Latin and geometry has the potential to improve the students' logical thinking. Their improved logical thinking would then have an effect on other subject areas. The actual material learned would not be transferred, but the improvement of logical thinking would help in other subjects. The specific view of transfer, however, states that transfer will occur between two learning tasks if the new skill or material contains elements that are identical to a skill or material from the original task. The general view holds that certain subjects will better the student and therefore the studying of that subject will improve learning in other subject areas, whereas the specific view holds that identical skills or material will be transferred. Low road transfer is when highly practiced skills are transferred with little need for thinking. High road transfer is where the person consciously focuses on applying skills, knowledge, or a strategy from one situation to another. Low road transfer has skills or actions that have been repeated so many times that focusing on doing the task is no longer necessary, whereas high road needs the focus in order for the transfer to occur. The specific versus general view of transfer focuses how on the subject being studied creates transfer and the low road versus high road transfer focuses on the need or lack of focus during transfer. Both specific versus general view of transfer and the low road versus high road show different ways of transfer. The general view of transfer is like low-road transfer because it does not require any focus during the transfer. High road and the specific view of transfer are alike because they both require focus during the transfer. The specific versus general view of transfer and the high road versus low road transfer are alike in that one part of each has a lack of focus and the other needs focus but they are also different because they focus on different ways that transfer occurs.
2) High road transfer is more difficult to achieve than low road transfer because one has to concentrate on transferring a skill, knowledge, or strategy. In low road transfer, the action or skill has been done so many times that it can be done with little to no focus. An example of this would be tying one's shoe. A person can tie their shoe and have a conversation with someone at the same time without the person tying the shoe incorrectly. In high road transfer, the person must focus on what he or she is trying to transfer over in order to do it successfully. One cannot try to make figure out the measurements for a double batch of cookies and hold a conversation with another person at the same time. The person would most likely mess up the measurements and make mediocre cookies.
3) Four teaching principles that support transfer are: develop automaticity of skills, promote meaningful learning, teach metacognitive strategies, and motivate students to value learning. Developing automaticity of skills facilitates transfer because it helps students develop low road transfer and then high road transfer. When students develop automaticity of skills, they should be able to do it without a lot of focus. Once they are able to, they are then able to use that information to help with other situations they encounter. An example would be learning the multiplication tables and then moving on later in life to calculus. If one does not know the multiplication tables well, it will take them a long time to do their homework. When they start solving algebraic equations, they will use the multiplication tables to help solve them (high road transfer). Promoting meaningful learning supports transfer because high road transfer relies on meaningful learning. In order to use high road transfer well, the student must possess deep-level knowledge that is connected to other concepts. Teaching metacognitive strategies is necessary for transfer because it is needed in order to identify appropriate transfer situations. The student must know how and when to use prior knowledge and when to use the knowledge that will be most useful. This is particularly important in math when there are multiple ways to solve a problem but only a couple ways that are better and easier than the rest. By having metacognitive strategies, students are able to choose whether or not prior knowledge, or transfer, should be used. Motivating students to value learning is particularly important for transfer. By motivating students to value learning, they will use transfer more and also use higher levels of transfer.
Am I Using Transfer?
I would say that I am thoughtful of the principles of transfer in this course. There are a lot of things in the course that I enjoy learning about because I know that in three years when I am hopefully setting up my first classroom and preparing for my first teaching job, it is definitely going to help me. In the future, I know that I will use the information learned in this course in my other education classes and also when I get a job. Because I know I will not remember it all, I think I will keep my notes and possibly my book as well just so I can look back at some things throughout time and remember the useful information I learned and put it to good use. I am also trying to make sure that the information is actually learned and not just temporarily stored in my short-term memory. I do not want the information that I learn to go to waste because I know that it will be useful very soon for me. Almost all of the information that I learn in this course I find extremely interesting and useful for me; the only things I do not find useful for my job are those things specifically for other subjects being taught that are not foreign languages. I also plan on trying to study the material multiple times so that I put it into my long term memory instead of my short term memory and create examples of useful times for this knowledge. I find this course's information very relevant and important for me and I hope to be able to retain it and use it in a few years.
Image URL: http://www.homeroomteacher.com/images/flashcards.jpg
http://www.eduguide.org/education/article_images/istock_laflor-3-little-girl-standing-next-to-a-chalk-board-with-math-problems-c.jpg
http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/quora/2012/10/121002_Quora_MathProblemEX.jpg.CROP.rectangle3-large.jpg