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Metacognition and Transfer of Learning

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Suppose that a student learns a mathematical procedure such as how to find the area of a parallelogram. Later, when the student is given a parallelogram problem like the one he or she has studied, he or she is able to find its area correctly. In short, the student shows that she can perform well on a retention test. However, when this student is asked to find the area of an unusually shaped parallelogram, he or she looks confused and answers "We haven't had this yet". In short, the student shows that she cannot perform well on a transfer test, which is applying what she has learned to a new situation (Mayer, 2001) Unfortunately, mastering a component skill is not enough to support non routine problem solving. Students need to know not …show more content…

In contrast, backward reaching transfer occurs when one is faced with a problem and looks back on what he or she has learned in other situations to help in this new situation.

Factors that contribute to transfer of learning

Initial Learning

Without an adequate level of initial learning, transfer cannot be expected (Mestre, 2002). The importance of initial learning was illustrated by a series of studies designed to access the effects of learning to program in the computer language LOGO. When initial learning was accessed, it was found that students often had not learned enough about LOGO to provide a basis for transfer (Bransford, Brown, and Cocking, 1999). Many studies that have failed to produce transfer have resulted from insufficient opportunities for students to learn efficiently in the first place (Mestre, 2002). Understanding

Transfer is also affected by the degree to which people learn with understanding rather than merely memorizing. Judd's classic studies of learning to throw darts at underwater targets would be a perfect exampled of how understanding is positively correlated with transfer. In sum, Judd's studies demonstrated the value of learning with understanding rather than simply mimicking a set of fixed procedures (Bransford

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