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Mennin Consulting, 2006 HOW DO PEOPLE LEARN? Contemporary Principles & Concepts Applied to Medical Education Slide 2 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 Slide 3 Mennin Consulting, 2006 LEARNING: Past - Present - Future Early 20 th century 3 Rs End of 20 th century Read critically Clear self expression Solve complex problems Early 21 st century Knowledge management Sustainable learning Slide 4 Mennin Consulting, 2006 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 Slide 5 Mennin Consulting, 2006 CYC: HOW DO PEOPLE LEARN? Slide 6 Mennin Consulting, 2006 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) Slide 7 Mennin Consulting, 2006 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 its 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. Slide 8 Mennin Consulting, 2006 Knowledge is Decentralized & Linked to Stimulus & Context DogBike BirdSchool ChairFlower Man House GenoaESME Slide 9 Mennin Consulting, 2006 Context & Remembering Experiment Water - Land Land - Water Water - Water Land - Land Duncan Godden and Alan Baddeley (1975) Slide 10 Mennin Consulting, 2006 Context & Remembering Duncan Godden and Alan Baddeley (1975) Slide 11 Mennin Consulting, 2006 LEARNING WITH UNDERSTANDING 1. Read & text + Lecture 2. Did not read text, actively compared data + lecture 3. 2x time working with data + no lecture 1 2 3 Groups Slide 12 Mennin Consulting, 2006 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) Slide 13 Mennin Consulting, 2006 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 Slide 14 Mennin Consulting, 2006 LEARNING WITH UNDERSTANDING Expert problem solving requires rich body of knowledge Beyond memory Usable Connected Organized around concepts Slide 15 Mennin Consulting, 2006 LEARNING WITH UNDERSTANDING Takes time Reorganize understanding with new information Test for understanding Disconnected facts not sufficient Slide 16 Mennin Consulting, 2006 Memory and Expertise Possible Position 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 Slide 17 Mennin Consulting, 2006 ORGANIZATION OF KNOWLEDGE Core concepts and ideas Experts use principles Novices use surface features Effortless recall of information Slide 18 Mennin Consulting, 2006 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 Professional authenticity Written, Oral or Computer based assessment Performance or hands on assessment Slide 19 Mennin Consulting, 2006 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 Slide 20 Mennin Consulting, 2006 REFLECTION (METACOGNITION) (Adaptive Expertise) Monitor own understanding Identify new information for understanding Consistent with what is known? Analogies to advance understanding Metaphors Slide 21 Mennin Consulting, 2006 IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHERS Actively inquire into students thinking Create situations to reveal thinking Build on their understanding Slide 22 Mennin Consulting, 2006 CHARACTERISTICS OF LEARNING AND TRANSFER All new learning involves connecting to previous learning Abstractions help simile; metaphor Learning is an active process Slide 23 Mennin Consulting, 2006 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 Slide 24 Mennin Consulting, 2006 IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHING Promote reciprocal teaching Explicate-Elaborate-Monitor Content expertise pedagogical expertise Slide 25 Mennin Consulting, 2006 LEARNING FOR UNDERSTANDING Adequate time Deliberate practice with metacognition (reflection) Feedback about understanding Compare & contrast What if Elaboration, Variable Iteration Slide 26 Mennin Consulting, 2006 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 Slide 27 Mennin Consulting, 2006 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 Slide 28 Mennin Consulting, 2006 TEACHING TECHNIQUES (Making Understanding Visible) Develop expertise in how students learn your subject Develop pedagogical expertise In-depth assessment Emphasize metacognition (reflection) Slide 29 Mennin Consulting, 2006 TEACHING TECHNIQUES FEEDBACK Timely Constructive Mutually agreed Results in a plan Supportive I & You messages Slide 30 Mennin Consulting, 2006 Knowledge is Decentralized & Linked to Stimulus & Context Dog Bird Chair Man Genoa Bike School Flower House ESME Slide 31 Mennin Consulting, 2006 WHAT WILL YOU DO? NEXT STEPS Slide 32 Mennin Consulting, 2006 PLUS DELTA Slide 33 Key Concepts + Role of pre- existing knowledge Context & learning Reflection Metacognition Match methods your context Teaching techniques Slide 34 Mennin Consulting, 2006 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 Slide 35 Mennin Consulting, 2006 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/ http://www.nap.edu/books/0309070368/html/ BEME bibliography http://www.bemecollaboration.org/bemebibl.ht m http://www.bemecollaboration.org/bemebibl.ht m Slide 36 Mennin Consulting, 2006 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