Week Six: Blog Question

What is meant by the statement " Today's learning is tomorrow's transfer?"

Transfer gives us the ability to learn in one situation, and then use the learning in other situations. Transfer is the core of problem solving, creative thinking, and all other higher mental processes, inventions, and artistic products. Transfer during learning refers to the effect that past learning has on the processing of new learning. If you miss one step, most likely you won't be able to complete the other steps. Transfer of learning refers to the degree in which the learning is applied in future situations. Transfers can either be positive or negative. When past learning helps new learning, it is positive. If it interferes with new learning, its negative. There are several factors that affect transfer such as the context and degree of original learning, similarity, critical attributes, and association such as emotion.

Transfer depends on the quality of original learning prior to new learning. If we struggled with one subject, furthering with that subject will always seem difficult for that student. What we teach now will affect their future learning and makes a difference between a student who is discouraged, and the student who is ethusiastic to learn.

For me, I always struggled with fractions because I never understood it in grade school. I got so frustrated I would tune out the teacher who would teach fractions to me. I couldn't add fractions so therefore I felt I couldn't multiply fractions. Working with my student, Faisal who is brilliant in math, he told me we were working on fractions and I think I might've groaned because I always struggled with it when I was his age.

In order to prevent this, we need to make sure everything you teach will make it easier for students to build on these primary concepts. Make every lesson a positive experience by retaining the attention of students, helping them make past connections especially with emotions, and help them understand to the best of your ability new knowledge.

Week Four: Blog Question

Does "Practice make perfect?"
How will the current view of intellegence impact you teaching and learning?

I'd like to think practice makes perfect but sometimes people's perfection doesn't get them as far as they'd like to go. There will always be obstacles to hold you back. Practice does however make permanent. I learned through a mini lesson i presented, information and memory, known as engrams, will decay and be thrown out by the brain if it is rarely used.
However in order to create perfection, learners need to repeat this skill overtime. The skill memory is then recalled and additional practice follows until it becomes almost second nature.
This current view of intellegence will greatly impact my teaching as wel las my learning. I remember back in high school how much I despised math and science. What i would do is study the material, memorize it for a day, take a test, ace it, and then kick out that information because I never used it again. Somehow, I want to take History or English and connect it to the student's life somehow. I want to form this giant puzzle that overlaps and combines with other subjects so the kids really know and understand the information rather than just memorize. My teacher was helping me one day as I was struggling with tests and I said ok ill go home and memorize it and he said No! I want you to know it. There's a difference. That teacher really taught me so much because I didn't just memorize it, I knew it and his activites have stucked with me to this day.

Week Three: Blog Question

What metaphors could you use for an information processing model?
What are teaching implications in regards to the capacity of working memory?


My favorite metaphor for an information processing model, such as the brain, would be a network of highways. I think the kids can really visualize a network of speedways rather than neurons racing from one side of the brain to the other sending messages.

Some teaching implications in regards to the capacity of working memory should include some visual, lecture, and hands on activity that will engage the student. That student can then use that knowledge later and apply it to their everyday life. It's extremely difficult trying to find a way to engage such a large group of students and keep them involved and all have them understand. Students all learn different ways therefore you should always apply some techniques using visual, auditory and hands on.