Episode 11 - Bite-Size Research on Providing Multiple Concrete Examples
Jan 17, 2018
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Discover the power of multiple concrete examples in learning! Different surface details help students grasp underlying concepts effectively. Research shows that when provided with varied examples, students greatly improve their ability to solve novel problems. Insights from Gick and Holyoak reveal that while spontaneous transfer is low without support, the right guidance can boost comprehension dramatically. Tune in to uncover the secrets of enhancing knowledge transfer!
Students need multiple concrete examples with different surface details to transfer underlying concepts effectively to new problems.
Hints significantly improve knowledge transfer from examples, but educators should prioritize providing varied concrete examples to foster independent application.
Deep dives
The Importance of Multiple Concrete Examples
Providing multiple concrete examples is crucial for effective learning and understanding of underlying concepts. Research by Jick and Holyoke demonstrates that students benefit significantly when they are exposed to various examples that share the same fundamental ideas but differ in surface details. For instance, when students studied a story about a general capturing a fortress and another with a fire chief, they were better prepared to apply the underlying strategy to solve a problem about a malignant tumor. This approach enables learners to grasp abstract concepts more deeply, facilitating the transfer of knowledge to new contexts.
Challenges of Spontaneous Transfer in Problem Solving
Spontaneous transfer of knowledge from learned examples to new problems is often ineffective, as evidenced by research findings. In one study, only 20% of students were able to solve a tumor problem after being presented with relevant stories without prompts. However, when given a hint that referred back to the stories, the success rate surged to 92%. This indicates that while hints can significantly aid understanding, they are not always practical; thus, educators should focus on delivering varied concrete examples to enhance students' ability to apply learned material independently.
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Enhancing Knowledge Transfer Through Multiple Examples
This is a bite-size research episode, where we briefly describe research findings on a specific topic. This week, Megan talks about the need for multiple concrete examples in order for students to transfer the underlying idea to new problems.
In the last episode, we talked about the research on concrete examples. (If you haven't listened to that episode yet, we recommend listening to it before listening to this one.) One of the points we made was the need for multiple concrete examples. Students need multiple examples, preferably with different surface details, to help them understand the underlying idea and to increase the likelihood that they will be able to apply that underlying idea to novel problems int he future. Research by Gick and Holyoak (1, 2) illustrates this point.
In one experiment (1), students read a story about a general and a fortress, and then were given a new problem, called the tumor problem:
General and fortress story used in Gick and Holyoak (1, 2)
Tumor problem used in Gick and Holyoak (1, 2)
Visual depiction of the general and fortress story and tumor problem
Spontaneous transfer from the general and fortress story to the tumor problem is quite low (20%). When students are given a hint, more are able to transfer (92%). However, a hint is not always feasible.
In 1983, Gick and Holyoak (2) experimented with a lot of different ways to try to improve spontaneous transfer. Unfortunately, many did not increase spontaneous transfer very much:
Having students summarize the solution doesn't help much
Providing a verbal description of the underlying structure doesn't help much
Providing a digram depicting the underlying structure doesn't help much
Diagram depicting the underlying structure, used in Gick and Holyoak, 1983 (2)
But, spontaneous transfer does improve when students are given multiple concrete examples with different surface details.
In one experiment (2), students were given two stories, the general story and a fire chief story, that were similar in underlying structure but different in surface details. At the end of the stories the underlying structure was summarized. After reading these stories, the students were asked to summarize both stories, and make some other ratings. Now, 62% of students spontaneously transfer the solution from the two stories to the tumor problem before the hint. After being given a hint, 82% in total can transfer. This is still not 100%, but is moving in the right direction!
These experiments highlight the importance of providing multiple concrete examples with different surface details. It also demonstrates how difficult transfer can be, even when we're trying to transfer information in the same physical context (in this case, a lab) and close in time (in this case, during the same experimental session). To read more about transfer, check out this blog and this blog.
Tune in next month to learn about the remaining strategy, dual coding!
