My thoughts on transfer form the readings and otherwise:
- Transfer can be categorized into near transfer and far transfer
- While near transfer measures the degree of knowledge or skill a learner is able to apply to an exactly similar context as the context while learning, far transfer measures how much of the knowledge or skill a learner has learned is s/he able to apply to an entirely new (but similar) situation.
- Most of the assessments focus on one-time application of knowledge in a transfer test and that too, immediately following the instruction.
- It takes some time and some practice for even experts to transfer their knowledge to a new situation.
- Our education system focuses on performance of individuals, and doesn't allow or encourage them to develop the capability and attitude to become lifelong learners be teaching them metacognitive skills to help them monitor their own learning.
- Our education system doesn't focus on promoting analytical skills by asking the learners to come up with ideas and theories about a concept and then compare their ideas and theories with those of experts. This would help them analyze their own thoughts and challenge and revise them, instead of sticking with their incorrect notions.
- Assessment should actually measure performance over a long period of time instead of a one-shot test, which encourages performance-oriented behavior instead of learning-oriented behavior wherein the learners are more willing to take risks, make mistakes, and in the process, learn with understanding.
- The display of knowledge at the right time could be difficult for some individuals, especially in the school settings. However, the same individuals can perform very well in other contexts, such as home or playground. The onus of performing well makes them focus hard on the end result instead of on their learning.
Dan Gilbert: You raise some good points about performance at one point in time versus performance over time. I am thinking about how spaces can be designed to ask individuals to connect their current learning with previous learning and future learning goals. I am not sure that a space or anything in a space can accomplish that, perhaps that is a design of an institution around a space that matters. Nice reflections.
Ping : I agree with you that assessment should be used to measure the learning outcomes in a long run, but not a one time shot, in particular for informal learning space. Most of time, people do not realize that they are learning, therefore they do not concentrate on the learning result. When we compare the learning results in a short period, there is not doubt that results for one-shot test would not accurately present the actually learning happened.
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