Обсуждение:The ABCs of How We Learn

Belonging Other studies have found that helping people to think about themselves as having multiple identities, in particular, focusing on those facets of their identity that are in-group (e.g., college student) rather than out-group (e.g., female), improves performance for those at risk of stereotype threat (Rydell, McConnell, & Beilock, 2009; for more examples, see http://www.reducingstereotypethreat.org

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CONTRASTING CASES ARE close examples that help people notice features they might otherwise overlook. They increase the precision and usability of knowledge.

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DELIBERATE PRACTICE IS characterized by a high degree of focused effort to develop specific skills and concepts beyond one’s current abilities. Deliberate practice contrasts with the more common practice of simply

http://thedanplan.com).

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ELABORATION IMPROVES MEMORY by making connections between new information and prior knowledge.

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HANDS-ON LEARNING OCCURS when people use their bodies and senses in the learning process. It recruits perceptual-motor intelligence to give meaning to words and symbols.

Does a hands-on activity need to be hands on? There are many computer simulations of hands-on activities that include mathematical and science manipulatives (see, e.g., the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives at http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html, and PhET Interactive Simulations at http://phet.colorado.edu). The answer to this question depends on whether learners can elicit the right perceptual-motor experiences without physically touching.

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IMAGINATIVE PLAY INVOLVES creating a story that is different from the world at hand, often letting one thing stand for another (e.g., a stick becomes a swooshing plane). Theoretically, imaginative play should improve a number of developmental outcomes, such as verbal abilities, symbolic creativity, intelligence, cognitive control, and social competence. (Below we explain why we say “theoretically.”)

How to Use Imaginative Play to Enhance Learning There is a prevailing hypothesis that improving children’s executive functioning, a major component of socioemotional functioning, will have cumulative effects on future learning. Children will be better able to control their attention, concentration, and impulsivity when learning and interacting with others. People have looked to play-centered curricula to strengthen executive functioning in four- and five-year-olds. The Tools of the Mind curriculum wraps executive function exercises around imaginative play (see http://www.toolsofthemind.org/). For example, children may be asked to play specific roles (e.g., doctors) and behave like doctors (and not patients). This differs from immature play where children do not try to play within rules. Rule-based behavior, by its very nature, is not stimulus driven.

Game play for learning has received increasing attention lately. For instance, the Quest to Learn schools in New York and Chicago frame a public school curriculum around games (see http://www.instituteofplay.org/work/projects/quest-schools/quest-to-learn/