Invited Talks

4:00 pm - 6:00 pm,     Wednesday,     August 4

Presider   :    N. Sanjay Rebello,  Kansas State University

4:00 pm    Jose P. Mestre, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Is Transfer Ubiquitous or Rare?  New Paradigms for Studying Transfer
The term transfer is used in the cognitive literature to mean the application of learning acquired in one context to another context.  Studies commonly show lack of transfer, leading some to question whether it happens at all.  Others argue that transfer is ubiquitous (e.g., you are transferring your knowledge now to understand this abstract).  I will discuss an emerging view of transfer that, rather than focusing on whether some body of knowledge is applied (or not) wholesale to a novel context, focuses on activation and application of knowledge pieces.  This view shifts the emphasis from asking “did transfer happen?” to asking questions such as “what knowledge is activated and how does it depend on context?”, “what is the nature and dynamic of the activation process, and how reliable is it?”  I will provide some examples of the kinds of insights that ensue when transfer studies are analyzed from this new perspective and discuss implications for PER.
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Work supported by NSF grant REC-010677.

4:30 pm    Karen Cummings, Southern Connecticut State University

Assessing Transfer of Conceptual Understanding
A project is underway at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in which tools and techniques are being developed to assess the transfer of conceptual understanding developed in introductory physics and calculus courses to higher level engineering courses.  This project, which is funded under the NSF-CCLI Assessing Student Achievement program, will be described in this talk.  The tools under development will be presented as will preliminary data sets.  The research on transfer of understanding that informed the project design will be discussed as well.

5:00 pm    Manjula Sharma, University of Sydney, Australia

Measuring the Transfer of Mathematical Skills
The development of numeracy and mathematical skills in university science students is essential for success in their studies and future careers.  However, anecdotal evidence indicates that a significant number of students demonstrate inadequate mathematical skills when solving discipline specific problems requiring basic mathematics. To better understand this issue, a team of researchers from the University of Sydney have developed and trialed an instrument for measuring the transfer of mathematical skills and knowledge. In this presentation I will present the complex pattern of transfer emerging from our investigations. I will also discuss questions that have arisen and implications for PER.
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Project supported by a SCIFER grant at the University of Sydney.
Team Members:  Sandra Britton (School of Mathematics and Statistics),  Peter New (School of Microbiology),  David Yardley (School of Mathematics and Statistics),  Andrew Roberts (School of Physics),  Science Faculty Education Research Group (SciFER), Faculty of Science, University of Sydney.

5:30 pm    Panel Discussion         

 

10:15 am - 12:15 pm,    Thursday,     August 5

Master of Ceremonies   :    Jose P. Mestre, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

10:15 am   Andrea diSessa, University of California, Berkeley

What coordination has to say about transfer*
I will build a perspective on the issue of transfer based out of an evolving theory of conceptual development, called coordination class theory. Coordination class theory defines a certain class of concepts, and analyzes their construction as a gradually assembled “complex system.” Coordination classes entail a particular set of problems for learners, which, in turn, provides a perspective on when transfer happens, when it does not, and how it can be prepared for. Coordination classes emphasize the possibility that different knowledge (different “concept projections”) may be used to “implement” the same concept in different situations.
In view of coordination class theory, some types of transfer (Class C transfer, which I will define) are ubiquitous, although difficult to see, especially if normative or even stable competence is the measure. Other types of transfer (Class A transfer), counter to the apparent assumption of much transfer literature, should not be expected to happen without extensive learning, probably involving many contexts. If a coordination class is at issue in Class A transfer, definite expectations about loci of difficulty exist. Finally, when transfer happens, it may not happen by virtue of highly abstract and therefore general schemata (knowledge elements). Instead, it may happen by the accumulation and coordination of much more specific, “concrete” knowledge, which is useful in particular situations. This last provides a fairly radical reformulation of one of the most generally accepted assumptions of the transfer literature.
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*Based on a paper by the same name by A. diSessa and J. Wagner, to appear in J. P. Mestre (Ed.), Transfer of learning: Research and perspectives (Working Title). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing

10:45 am    Daniel Schwartz, Stanford University

Innovation and Efficiency in Transfer
The transfer literature includes a variety of seemingly conflicting perspectives. Some argue that transfer is rare; others argue that transfer is ubiquitous; still others worry that transfer is an unworkable concept. Is the transfer literature filled with inherently contradictory claims, or is there a framework that can help illuminate how and why the varied positions on transfer are each pieces of the truth that can be reconciled through a broader theoretical foundation?  I will argue for the latter by  (a) rethinking the classic definition of transfer and show how it tends to misdiagnose important forms of knowing; (b) differentiate "transferring in" to situations from "transferring out" of them; (c) discuss studies that show that new ways to think about transferring "in" and "out" can reveal advantages of interactive instructional techniques that remain hidden from more traditional measures; and (d) propose a tentative learning and performance space that differentiates two dimensions of transfer -- innovation and efficiency -- and provide an example of what research on optimal trajectories through this space might look like.

11:15 am    Zbigniew Dziembowski, Temple University

Transfer of learning: when you don’t see it, why not
Transfer of learning plays a pivotal role in education, yet there are some noteworthy failures to observe transfer. In this talk I will review failed attempts to demonstrate the existence and effects of transfer, specifically ‘far transfer.’ I will then discuss recent advances in our understanding when transfer does not occur and why, focusing on schematic and analogical transfer of mathematical problem solving procedures acquired through physical science instruction.

11:45 am    Panel Discussion