The National Academies Press

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Pages 233-247

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From page 233... ... The objective of the analysis was to ascertain what is required for learners to reach deep understanding, to determine what leads to effective teaching, and to evaluate the conditions that lead to supportive environments for teaching and learning. A scientific understanding of learning includes understanding about learning processes, learning environments, teaching, sociocultural processes, and the many other factors that contribute to learning. Read the entire page →
From page 234... ... These include the following: � "Privileged domains:" Young children actively engage in making sense of their worlds. In some domains, most obviously language, but also for biological and physical causality and number, they seem predisposed to learn. Read the entire page →
From page 235... ... For example, the weight and thickness of the cerebral cortex of rats is altered when they have direct contact with a stimulating physical environment and an interactive social group. The structure of the nerve cells themselves is correspondingly altered: under some conditions, both the cells that provide support to the neurons and the capillaries that supply blood to the nerve cells may be altered as well. Read the entire page →
From page 236... ... Even initial learning involves transfer that is based on previous experiences and prior knowledge. Transfer is not simply something that may or may not appear after initial learning has occurred. Read the entire page →
From page 237... ... , and so forth. In these kinds of situations, teachers must help students change their original conceptions rather than simply use the misconceptions as a basis for further understanding or leaving new material unconnected to current understanding. Read the entire page →
From page 238... ... This view of learning also includes the not so obvious: young learners arrive at school with prior knowledge that can facilitate or impede learning. The implications for schooling are many, not the least of which is that teachers must address the multiple levels of knowledge and perspectives of children's prior knowledge, with all of its inaccuracies and misconceptions. Read the entire page →
From page 239... ... Teaching for In-Depth Learning Traditional education has tended to emphasize memorization and mastery of text. Research on the development of expertise, however, indicates that more than a set of general problem-solving skills or memory for an array of facts is necessary to achieve deep understanding. Read the entire page →
From page 240... ... Rather, they are encouraged to explore their own knowledge and to invent strategies for solving problems and to discuss with others why their strategies work or do not work. A key aspect of the new ways of teaching science is to focus on helping students overcome deeply rooted misconceptions that interfere with learning. Read the entire page →
From page 241... ... The approach focuses upon students' personal knowledge as the foundations of sense-making. Further, the approach emphasizes the role of the specialized functions of language, including the students' own language for communication when it is other than English; the role of language in developing skills of how to "argue" the scientific "evidence" they arrive at; the role of dialogue in sharing information and learning from others; and finally, how the specialized, scientific language of the subject matter, including technical terms and definitions, promote deep understanding of the concepts. Read the entire page →
From page 242... ... These two sets of research-based findings contradict the common misconception about what teachers need to know in order to design effective learning environments for students. Both subject-matter knowledge and pedagogical knowledge are important for expert teaching because knowledge domains have unique structures and methods of inquiry associated with them. Read the entire page →
From page 243... ... The public imagination has been captured by the capacity of information technologies to centralize and organize large bodies of knowledge; people are excited by the prospect of information networks, such as the Internet, for linking students around the globe into communities of learners. There are five ways that technology can be used to help meet the challenges of establishing effective learning environments: . Read the entire page →
From page 244... ... In open situations, explicit directions are minimized in order to see how students generate and carry out appropriate process skills as they solve problems. Characterizing assessments in terms of components of competence and the content and process demands of the subject matter brings specificity to assessment objectives, such as "higher level thinking" and "deep understanding." This approach links specific content with the Read the entire page →
From page 245... ... In other institutions or activities, learning is more incidental, but learning takes place nevertheless. These learning experiences are fundamental to children's" and adults' lives since they are embedded in the culture and the social structures that organize their daily activities. Read the entire page →
From page 246... ... Outsiders can help students appreciate similarities and differences between classroom environments and everyday environments; such experiences promote transfer of learning by illustrating the many contexts for applying what they know. Parents and business leaders represent examples of outside people who can have a major impact on student learning. Read the entire page →
From page 247... ... � New tools of technology have the potential of enhancing learning in many ways. The tools of technology are creating new learning environments, which need to be assessed carefully, including how their use can facilitate learning, the types of assistance that teachers need in order to incorporate the tools into their classroom practices, the changes in classroom organization that are necessary for using technologies, and the cognitive, social, and learning consequences of using these new tools. Read the entire page →

From page 233...

... The objective of the analysis was to ascertain what is required for learners to reach deep understanding, to determine what leads to effective teaching, and to evaluate the conditions that lead to supportive environments for teaching and learning. A scientific understanding of learning includes understanding about learning processes, learning environments, teaching, sociocultural processes, and the many other factors that contribute to learning.