Cognitive psychology has provided many insights into
how people learn that can inform our teaching
strategies. In this presentation I will review findings
from the psychology of learning in five domains:
Memory – how do we learn new information. What
factors influence our ability to learn and retrieve
information.
Transfer – how do we select known concepts from
memory to solve new problems. What factors facilitate
and impede our ability to retrieve known concepts to
solve new problems.
Deliberate practice and its critical role in
transfer.
Experiential knowledge as a component of expertise.
The role of practice with multiple examples to provide
an alternative solution strategy. Non-analytic
reasoning (pattern recognition).
General strategic skills (problem-solving, critical
thinking, reflection, etc.).. is there any evidence of
general skills? Should we teach general skills?
In each area, I will begin with some everyday
examples to illustrate the fundamental points, review
the evidence, then draw implications for more effective
teaching
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