Vertical Transference of Skills in Young Learners
When something is understood in one context and that understanding is transferred to learning in another context, this is defined as transfer (Bransford et al., 2000). During my studies, in an educational technologies course, I recently completed an essay on the concept of vertical transference of skills. The research I focused on was grounded in educational psychology. I found chapter 3 of the book, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School, written by Bransford, et al. 2000, to be closely related to my interest in how I can better understand my young learners background knowledge. In this book, there is an in-depth discussion about Learning and Transfer. One of my greatest takeaways was when I read the passage that states, “Research has indicated that transfer across contexts is especially difficult when a subject is taught only in a single context rather than in multiple contexts” (p. 62).
This passage directed my thoughts toward a student’s home environment. Some of the first skills learned are taught within the context of relationships and responsibilities. However, ideas and skills learned in a home environment may not always coincide with skills that are taught in the classroom. A program of study that focuses on educational technologies can provide instructors with an overview of conceptual change and how it informs the student. This also provides tangible data to facilitate individualized instruction and provide a more pivotal experience for teaching and learning. For example, students can build on the skill of counting numbers, that they learned at home, by adding and subtracting them during classroom instruction. With the study and implementation of educational technologies, students and teachers can get a better understanding of how concepts learned at home may or may not coincide with what is taught in the classroom.
| Reference Bransford, J., Brown, A.L. & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience and school. National Academy Press https://doi.org/10.17226/9853 |