Showing papers by "Ference Marton published in 2006"

On Some Necessary Conditions of Learning

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to identify some necessary conditions of learning To learn something, the learner must discern what is to be learned (the object of learning) Discerning the object of learning amounts to discerning its critical aspects To discern an aspect, the learner must experience potential alternatives, that is, variation in a dimension corresponding to that aspect, against the background of invariance in other aspects of the same object of learning (One could not discern the color of things, for instance, if there was only one color) The study results illustrate that what students learn in a sequence of lessons is indeed a function of the pattern of variation and invariance constituted in that sequence All teachers make use of variation and invariance in their teaching, but this study shows that teachers informed by a systematic framework do it more systematically, with striking effects on their students' learning

Sameness and Difference in Transfer

Abstract: Discussions about transfer have mainly dealt with how people manage to do something in a situation thanks to having done something similar in a previous situation. From an educational point of view, however, it appears more fruitful to consider the case when the learner, having learned to do something in 1 situation, might be able to do something different in other situations, thanks to perceived differences (and similarities) between situations. The case is made for widening the focus of attention to how situations are related through differences (and similarities).