Building Expertise: Cognitive Methods for Training and Performance Improvement

Chapter 12. Teaching for Transfer

Intelligent behavior is deeply context bound.

—R. RITCHART AND D.N. PERKINS, 2005

IN THIS CHAPTER,

I describe instructional methods that promote retrieval of new knowledge and skills from long-term memory after the learning event. I organize the guidelines based on the degree of transfer they support as follows:

• Instructional methods to support near transfer

• Learning aids for near-transfer learning

• Instructional methods to support moderate transfer

• Instructional methods to support far transfer

• Learning aids for far-transfer learning from simulations

Transfer: It's All About Context

Transfer refers to the extent to which a learner can apply new mental models learned in one setting to a different setting. In training, we ...