how do people learn?

Mennin Consulting, 2006

HOW DO PEOPLE LEARN?

•Contemporary Principles & Concepts Applied to Medical Education

The meaning of knowing has shifted from being able to

remember and repeat information to being able to

find and use it

Herbert Simon, 1966


LEARNING: Past - Present - Future

•Early 20th century•3 Rs

•End of 20th century•Read critically•Clear self expression•Solve complex problems

•Early 21st century•Knowledge management•Sustainable learning


OBJECTIVES

• Describe the basic paradigm of how people learn

• Match teaching-learning methods & techniques to your context & learning objectives

• Describe & apply 3-4 methods - techniques to activate learning


CYC: HOW DO PEOPLE LEARN?


“Nobody tells productions when to act; they wait until conditions are ripe and then activate themselves. By contrast, chefs in the other kitchens merely follow orders. Turing units are nominated by their predecessors, von Neurmann operations are all prescheduled, and LISP functions are invoked by other functions. Production system teamwork is more laissez-faire: each production acts on its own, when and where its private conditions are satisfied. There is no central control, and individual productions never directly interact. All communication and influence is via patterns in the common workspace – like anonymous “to whom it may concern” notices on a public bulletin boards”

(Haugeland, 1985 in Schmidt, 1993)


Memorize this Text

A newspaper is better than a magazine. A seashore is a better place than the street. At first, it is better to run than to walk. You may have to try several times. It takes some skills but it’s easy to learn. Even young children can enjoy it. Once successful, complications are minimal. Birds seldom get too close. Rain, however, soaks very fast. Too many people doing the same thing can also cause problems. One needs lots of room. If there are no complications, it can be very peaceful. A rock will serve as an anchor. If things break loose from it, however, you will not get a second change.

Bransford & Johnson, 1972 in Schmidt, 1993.


Knowledge is Decentralized & Linked to Stimulus & Context

• Dog Bike• Bird School• Chair Flower• Man House• Genoa ESME


Context & Remembering Experiment

•Water - Land •Land - Water•Water - Water•Land - Land

Duncan Godden and Alan Baddeley (1975)


Context & Remembering

Duncan Godden and Alan Baddeley (1975)


LEARNING WITH UNDERSTANDING

1. Read & text + Lecture

2. Did not read text, actively compared data + lecture

3. 2x time working with data + no lecture

05

101520253035404550

Possible Predictions

%

1 2 3

Groups


PRE-EXISTING KNOWLEDGE

FOCUS ON PROCESS OF KNOWING• History shapes receptivity to

information• New knowledge merges with pre-

existing knowledge in multiple networks

• Teachers need to know and activate students’ history (knowing)


LESSONS FROM COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

• Problem solving is context bound

• Data collection is influenced by questions being entertained

• Context influences understanding & remembering

• Timely feedback improves transfer of information



•Expert problem solving requires rich body of knowledge

•Beyond memory•Usable•Connected•Organized around concepts



• Takes time• Reorganize understanding with new

information• Test for understanding• Disconnected facts not sufficient


Memory and Expertise

a

8

b

7

c

6

d

5

e

4

f

3

g

2

h

1

Possible Positiona

8

b

7

c

6

d

5

e

4

f

3

g

2

h

1

Bizarre Position

•Experts’ command of concepts shapes understanding of new information•Patterns, Relationships, Discrepancies•Extract meaning better than novices•Select and remember relevant information better


ORGANIZATION OF KNOWLEDGE

• Core concepts and ideas• Experts – use principles• Novices – use surface features• Effortless recall of information


A SIMPLE MODEL OF COMPETENCE

Miller GE. The assessment of clinical skills/competence/performance. Academic Medicine (Supplement) 1990; 65: S63-S7.

Knows

Shows how

Knows how

Does

Pro

fess

ion

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tyPro

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tici

ty

Written, Oral orComputer based assessment

Performance or hands on assessment


META ~ COGNITION(REFLECTION)

META•Changed in position or form•Altered -- Transposed•Going Beyond, higher•Substitutions in the 1,3 position in a benzene ring

COGNITION•The process of knowing in the broadest sense, including perception, memory, & judgment


REFLECTION (METACOGNITION)(Adaptive Expertise)

•Monitor own understanding •Identify new information for understanding•Consistent with what is known?•Analogies to advance understanding•Metaphors


IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHERS

•Actively inquire into students’ thinking

•Create situations to reveal thinking

•Build on their understanding


CHARACTERISTICS OF LEARNING AND TRANSFER

• All new learning involves connecting to previous learning

• Abstractions help – simile; metaphor• Learning is an active process


CHARACTERISTICS OF LEARNING AND TRANSFER

• Time to learn• Deliberate practice

• Importance of feedback in learning• Contrasting cases- “what if…”

• Context• Active approaches to ‘transfer’ ‘level

jumping’


IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHING

• Promote reciprocal teaching• Explicate-Elaborate-Monitor

• Content expertise pedagogical expertise


LEARNING FOR UNDERSTANDING

• Adequate time• Deliberate practice with

metacognition (reflection)• Feedback about understanding• Compare & contrast

• What if…

• Elaboration, Variable Iteration


THREE TECHNIQUES

• Draw out and work with pre-existing understanding

• In-depth teaching, multiple examples• Reflection on and in action

(metacognition) in specific subject areas


TEACHING TECHNIQUES(Making Understanding Visible)

• Consult your colleague• Reciprocal teaching• Polling the class• Frequent formative assessments

• Tap into understanding

• In-depth vs. superficial teaching• Prototypes


TEACHING TECHNIQUES(Making Understanding Visible)

• Develop expertise in how students learn your subject

• Develop pedagogical expertise• In-depth assessment• Emphasize metacognition

(reflection)


TEACHING TECHNIQUESFEEDBACK

• Timely• Constructive• Mutually agreed• Results in a plan• Supportive• “I” & “You” messages


Knowledge is Decentralized & Linked to Stimulus & Context

•Dog•Bird•Chair•Man •Genoa

•Bike•School•Flower•House•ESME


WHAT WILL YOU DO?NEXT STEPS


PLUS DELTA

Key Concepts +

Role of pre-existing knowledge

Context & learning

Reflection Metacognition

Match methods your context

Teaching techniques


OBJECTIVES

• Describe the basic paradigm of how people learn

• Match teaching-learning methods & techniques to your context & learning objectives

• Describe & apply 3-4 methods - techniques to activate learning


Additional Resources

• http://hsc.unm.edu/som/TED• www.menninconsulting.com• How People Learn: Brain, Mind,

Experience and School (2000) http://www.nap.edu/books/0309070368/html/

• BEME bibliography http://www.bemecollaboration.org/bemebibl.htm

http://hsc.unm.edu/som/TED

http://www.menninconsulting.com/

http://www.nap.edu/books/0309070368/html/

http://www.nap.edu/books/0309070368/html/

http://www.bemecollaboration.org/bemebibl.htm

http://www.bemecollaboration.org/bemebibl.htm


Additional Resources

• Dent & Harden (eds) (2006). A Practical Guide for Medical Teachers. Edinburgh, Elsevier.

• L. Dee Fink (2000). Creating Significant Learning Experiences: an integrated approach to designing college courses. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.

• Bransford & Johnson (1972) Journal of verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior 11: 717-726

how do people learn?

Documents

context bound data collection

alan baddeley

entertained context

rich body of knowledge

methods techniques

data lecture3

better place

new informationtest