Twice?
From the standpoint of the capacity model, the notion that transfer requires both strong comprehension and a mental representation that is not overly contextualized might appear to produce an inherent contradiction. The model posits that one of the key characterstics that can promote comprehension is a small distance between narrative and educational content, which occurs when the educational content is highly contextualized in the narrative presented in the program. From the standpoint of theoretical models of transfer, however, deep contextualization could actually impede, rather than enhance, transfer. How, then, can this seeming contradiction be resolved? The answer may lie in presenting the same educational concept more than once.
From the standpoint of the capacity model, the notion that transfer requires both strong comprehension and a mental representation that is not overly contextualized might appear to produce an inherent contradiction. The model posits that one of the key characterstics that can promote comprehension is a small distance between narrative and educational content, which occurs when the educational content is highly contextualized in the narrative presented in the program. From the standpoint of theoretical models of transfer, however, deep contextualization could actually impede, rather than enhance, transfer. How, then, can this seeming contradiction be resolved? The answer may lie in presenting the same educational concept more than once.
3 Comments:
informative AND amusing! :)
i woke up at 5 am today to finish that paper! you're pretty funny
A lot of studies say teaching in context, in the social narrative of the students, is key.
However, there are others that say contrast is key, and the teacher should make the material appear different, even exotic.
What to do? I try to present material in context, but to also portray it as a door to something exciting or even exotic - like you found an alien spaceship in the back yard. Certain topics lend themselves easily to this (complex numbers, for instance). For other topics, it's more of a struggle.
On a more technical level, the studies emphasizing teaching in context seem to measure the retention of a single subject. Those that focus on contrast - especially contrast between different units - seemed to be more apt to measure retention across the curriculum in general.
So when I have to choose just one presentation I go for contrast. However, what is the most proven presentation method? "Identifying similarities *and* differences." There you have context and contrast all at once. Link, but distinguish. Make relevant, but not boringly "practical."
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