Research on Human Learning: Understanding and Applications Jose Mestre Department of Physics University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 01003

Backdrop The National Research Council has released 2 reports: 1) How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School (1999). 2) How People Learn: Bridging Research and Practice (2000).

Today's presentation Provide overview of some findings from reports related to teaching & learning. Do an activity with you to illustrate some of the points covered in the report. Discuss implications for designing learning environments that are learner centered, knowledge centered, assessment centered, and community centered.

The Nature of Expertise Research with experts & novices reveals marked differences in the way they store, and apply knowledge.

Expertise: Knowledge Acquisition & Organization Experts have a rich knowledge base that is hierarchically organized. Experts notice and remember large amounts of complex information in their domain of expertise after short exposures to a new situation (called “chunking”).

Classic Studies with Chess Masters Chess Masters Electronic Technicians Computer Programmers

Expertise: Knowledge Acquisition & Organization

Expertise: Knowledge Application

Classic Studies with Physics Novices & Experts Novices : “These are inclined plane problems” Experts: “This can be viewed as a work-energy problem” (Chi, Feltovich and Glaser, 1981).

Summary of what we know about the nature of expertise Experts have well-organized knowledge -- not just “problem solving” strategies; their knowledge is organized to support understanding (qualitative before quantitative) and it is “conditionalized” for use. Experts have fluent access to their knowledge. Such knowledge is acquired over time and depends on multiple, contextualized experiences. Implications -- “wisdom” can’t be taught directly and instruction must be directed towards the gradual acquisition of understanding & expertise.

Implications for Teaching

The Transfer of Learning The transfer of learning from one context to another is neither trivial, nor automatic.

Transfer Experiment  A general wishes to capture a fortress in the center of a country. There are many roads radiating outward from the fortress. All roads have been mined so that while small groups of men can pass over the roads safely, a large force will detonate the mines. A full-scale direct attack is therefore impossible. The general’s solution is to divide his army into small groups, send each to the head of a different road, and have the groups converge simultaneously on the fortress.  You are a doctor faced with a patient who has a malignant tumor in the stomach. It is impossible to operate on the patient, but unless the tumor is destroyed, the patient will die. There is a kind of ray that may be used to destroy the tumor. If the rays reach the tumor all at once and with sufficient high intensity, the tumor will be destroyed, but surrounding tissue may be damaged as well. At lower intensities, the rays are harmless to healthy tissue, but they will not affect the tumor either. What type of procedure might be used to destroy the tumor with the rays, and at the same time avoid destroying the healthy tissue? Few college students could solve the second problem on their own. When told to use information from first, >90% were able to solve it.

Transfer Transfer is facilitated by knowing the multiple contexts under which an idea applies (i.e., effective transfer is inextricably linked to the conditions for applicability; rote learning rarely transfers.) New learning depends on previous learning and previous learning often interferes with what you are trying to teach.

Lionni’s Fish is Fish

The Fish’s Image of Birds

The Fish’s Image of Cows

The Fish’s Image of People

Some Analogs to the Fish is Fish Story Young children who believe the earth is flat…. Physics students who assume “force of the hand” when a ball is thrown into the air Student beliefs that history is about the “good guys” vs the “bad guys” Students’ (of different ages) beliefs about seasons -- distance from sun not tilt

Implications for Teaching When teaching science, place emphasis on the multiple contexts to which major concepts apply. To facilitate transfer, tie concepts to contexts in which they can be applied, and encourage verbalization of why a concept applies to a given context. Probe for pre-conceptions that may interfere, or support, learning and transfer.

Vote for A, B, or C if you think race results in a tie. I will ask for volunteers to explain the reasoning leading to your selection.

Designing Learning Environments Based on HPL

Learner-Centered Learning Environments

Knowledge-Centered Learning Environments

Is this any way to develop expertise?

Assessment-Centered Learning Environments

Community-Centered Learning Environments

Summary Points There is an emerging science of learning It has major implications for all aspects of schooling -- curriculum, instruction, assessment, plus preservice and inservice teacher education It provides a basis for knowing when, how and why to use various instructional strategies It can guide the intelligent design and use of new curricular materials as well as information technologies