Chapter 4 Summary
How Students Develop Mastery
In order to fully grasp a subject, students not only have to learn the skills and theory but also must practice putting them together and know when and how to put the skills to use (Ambrose, Bridges, DiPietro, Lovett, & Norman, 2010). At the most basic level, I like to think of this learning principle as I would think about someone learning to juggle. First one might read about how to juggle to get some tips and best practices. Then, start with 1 ball and throw it up in the air and catch it. Then you add the second ball and practice until you master juggling with 2 balls. Lastly, add the third ball and practice juggling everything without dropping any balls. This is a 4 step principle - acquire, practice, know when to apply, and finally mastery (Ambrose et al., 2010).
Research and Implications
There are 4 stages involved in moving from a novice to developing mastery (Ambrose et al., 2010). They are unconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence, and unconscious competence, in that order (Ambrose et al., 2010). Once you have internalized the process and can operate on ‘automatic,’ you are the unconsciously competent expert (Ambrose et al., 2010). Have you ever driven home and forgotten how you got there because you were thinking about your day? It’s kind of like that. As mentioned in the chapter 2 summary, teachers need to be aware of their expert blind spot (Ambrose et al., 2010). To combat the blind spot we can become more aware of the component skills, what it takes to practice integrating those skills, and also how to know when to apply the skills (Ambrose et al., 2010).
This chapter got me thinking about how it won't be long before we are teaching my stepson to drive. Since we have been driving for so long we are unconsciously competent and will need to break all of the tasks up into component parts (Ambrose et al., 2010). Then we introduce those component parts 1 by 1 without causing the novice driver to go into cognitive overload (Ambrose et al., 2010). After that, the novice driver will need to integrate the skills and put them together (Ambrose et al., 2010). When you are an expert, you have to remember to be patient and that can be challenging since you have the material internalized. The last step of mastering driving is to know when and where to use certain component skills (Ambrose et al., 2010).
This chapter got me thinking about how it won't be long before we are teaching my stepson to drive. Since we have been driving for so long we are unconsciously competent and will need to break all of the tasks up into component parts (Ambrose et al., 2010). Then we introduce those component parts 1 by 1 without causing the novice driver to go into cognitive overload (Ambrose et al., 2010). After that, the novice driver will need to integrate the skills and put them together (Ambrose et al., 2010). When you are an expert, you have to remember to be patient and that can be challenging since you have the material internalized. The last step of mastering driving is to know when and where to use certain component skills (Ambrose et al., 2010).
Near and Far Transfer
Applying skills in the same or similar context in which they were taught is called near transfer (Ambrose et al., 2010). Far transfer occurs when you can apply the skills to a variety of different contexts (Ambrose et al., 2010). In the driver’s education example, far transfer might be walking on the right hand side when passing others in a hallway. Near transfer would be something like driving a go kart, since it is very similar to driving a car. Teachers are most successful when they facilitate learning transfer, as it helps students see the big picture and understand conceptually how everything relates (Ambrose et al., 2010).
Recommended Strategies
There are several strategies that can be used to help students learn and I will discuss a few here. First, let’s focus on identifying the component skills so that you are not skipping steps or missing any critical information (Ambrose et al., 2010). In order to get past your expert blind spot you need to identify all of the critical components (Ambrose et al., 2010). You can enlist help if needed – ask a grad student or someone that is closer to the conscious competence end of the spectrum (Ambrose et al., 2010). You could also talk to your co-workers or ask a friend, family member, or someone unfamiliar with the material (Ambrose et al., 2010). Second, to facilitate integration, give students hands on experience and make sure to minimize cognitive load (Ambrose et al., 2010). Lastly, facilitate transfer by teaching where and when to apply the new skills and teach theory so students see the bigger picture (Ambrose et al., 2010).
Google Word Search
The below word search was created using the Gadget functionality on Google Drive. The purpose of the word search is to identify and reinforce the key terms used to describe the learning principle in Chapter 4. Test your thinking and see how many you can find. Once you locate a word from the word bank, left-click and drag your mouse over it to highlight the word and cross it off the list.
References:
Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M. C. & Norman, M. K. (2010). How Learning Works: 7 Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M. C. & Norman, M. K. (2010). How Learning Works: 7 Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.