Transfer of Learning

Microlearning Series

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01

Transfer of Learning

bridges the gap between theory and practice.

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Transfer

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Transfer of learning is the ability to apply knowledge or skills learned in one context to a different situation. Transfer is a skill that starts in the classroom. When instructors teach with transfer in mind they ensure learners have the flexibility to utilize their knowledge in novel situations.

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'Your content is liked, but it engages much more if it is interactive'

'Your content is liked, but it engages much more if it is interactive'

Genially

Genially

Transfer

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Factors that can affect transfer include:

Depth of initial learning

Initial Learning

If the material is only taught at the remembering or understanding level students will have trouble transferring that knowledge to other contexts.

Recognition of a transfer task

Abstract and consolidate

When presented with a new context, students need to be able to recognize the new context as an opportunity to apply to initial knowledge.

Level on Abstraction

Evaluate new situations

Transfer tasks that are very different than the initial learning require students to decontextualize knowledge from the initial learning and then recontextualize it into the new scenario.

Apply to the new scenario

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Far transfer, on the other hand, requires a higher level of abstraction. This happens when knowledge is applied in a very different context. The connection isn't obvious, so the student must actively abstract core principles and reapply them.

Transfer

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Types of Transfer

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Language Example

Near transfer occurs when there are many similarities between the original learning situation and the new situation. The extent to which knowledge transfers depends on how similar the two situations are.

STEM Example

Clinical Example

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Transfer

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Choose an example that is relevant to you and learn more.

Language Example

STEM Example

Clinical Example

Transfer

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Language Example

adiós

Ciao

再见

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Transfer

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STEM Example

y is an unknown function of x (or of x1 and x2), and f is a given function

A small experimental rocket is launched straight upward from rest. At the moment of launch, the rocket has a total mass of 10 kg, including fuel. As it burns fuel, the rocket’s mass decreases at a constant rate of 0.1 kg/s. The rocket engine provides a constant upward thrust of 20 N, and gravity is g = 9.8m/s2. Air resistance is negligible.

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Transfer

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Medical Ed Example

localized pain

swelling

radiographic findings

deep space infection with systemic involvemen

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Transfer

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Instructional Strategies for Transfer

automatic

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Transfer

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Addtional Resrouces

• Hajian, S. "Transfer of learning and teaching: A review of transfer theories and effective instructional practices." IAFOR Journal of Education 7.1 (2019): 93-111.

• Transfer of Knowledge to New Context - Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, Yale University.

• Barnett, S., & Ceci, S. (2002). When and where do we apply what we learn? A taxonomy for far transfer. Psychological Bulletin 128, 612-37.

• McDowell, M. Teaching for Transfer : A Guide for Designing Learning with Real-World Application, Solution Tree, 2020. ProQuest Ebook Central.

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Transfer

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Well done :)

You did it! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Real-world transfer tasks: Have students solve an authentic, unfamiliar problem.

- Give students practice decontextualizing and recontextualizing the principles- Teach the material in one context, remove the principle from its initial context and examine it with the students in isolation and then, demonstrate the principle or concept in a new context

- Exposing students to the transfer tasks early- Students complete problems that have similar structures, but different surface features - Make the structural similarities explicit at first

- Widen the distance between initial learning and novel tasks- Make the structural similarities less explicit as students encounter success and grow more confident - Ask students what if questions that modify conditions and ask students to refine their solutions - Have students reflect on the problem and how it is similar or different to previous problems