{"id":20137,"date":"2022-04-19T03:44:36","date_gmt":"2022-04-19T03:44:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/singteach.nie.edu.sg\/?p=20137"},"modified":"2022-04-20T04:27:10","modified_gmt":"2022-04-20T04:27:10","slug":"rethinking-learning-from-creative-transfer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/singteach.nie.edu.sg\/2022\/04\/19\/rethinking-learning-from-creative-transfer\/","title":{"rendered":"Rethinking Learning from Creative Transfer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>How do we define learning in the 21st century? According to <a href=\"https:\/\/nie.edu.sg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NIE<\/a> Senior Education Research Scientist <a href=\"https:\/\/dr.ntu.edu.sg\/cris\/rp\/rp01475\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dr David Huang<\/a>, learning should not only involve the ability to acquire knowledge efficiently, but also be able to innovatively transfer the newly acquired knowledge beyond specific contexts and instances, a process called \u201ccreative transfer\u201d. In <\/strong><strong>this article, he shares more about his research project that focuses on creative transfer in Math.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/singteach.nie.edu.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ST80_ResearchinAction_DavidHuang-_v3_for_layout_edited-300x223.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"alignright wp-image-20138\" width=\"400\" height=\"297\" srcset=\"https:\/\/singteach.nie.edu.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ST80_ResearchinAction_DavidHuang-_v3_for_layout_edited-300x223.jpg 300w, https:\/\/singteach.nie.edu.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ST80_ResearchinAction_DavidHuang-_v3_for_layout_edited-768x571.jpg 768w, https:\/\/singteach.nie.edu.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ST80_ResearchinAction_DavidHuang-_v3_for_layout_edited.jpg 833w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Creative transfer occurs when students synthesize, expand, combine and adapt their knowledge in transfer so as to create novel concepts and procedures. \u201cAn example of creative transfer is a student creating a solution method for a question in a curriculum topic they have never learned before,\u201d says Dr David Huang.<\/p>\n<p>His research project consists of two sub-studies, the first of which (Study 1) was conducted on primary school students across three local schools. Study 1, he explains, explores the extent to which the learners\u2019 domain knowledge of the already learned topics of fraction multiplication and whole number division can influence their creative transfer to the untaught topic of fraction division.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Study 1, we found that procedural <em>flexibility<\/em> and <em>conceptual knowledge<\/em> are particularly important for transfer to take place,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n<h1>Discovering Learners\u2019 Potential for Creative Transfer<\/h1>\n<p>In the initial stages of the study, the research team found that there were a number of students who already had prior exposure to fraction division before it was introduced in the formal curriculum.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter realizing this situation, we took the opportunity to compare creative transfer (by students who had no prior exposure to fraction division) versus application of knowledge in usual transfer (by students who had prior exposure),\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n<p>The direct comparison between the two groups of students led to the finding that procedural flexibility of (previously learnt) whole number division and fraction multiplication was particularly important for those students who had prior exposure to fraction division. Meanwhile, for those who did not have prior exposure, their conceptual knowledge of whole number division and fraction multiplication was important for them to invent their own methods in solving fraction division problems.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTeachers and researchers were also pleasantly surprised to note that students developed many novel creative transfer approaches to solve fraction division problems, suggesting that students in Singapore have good potentials in creative transfer,\u201d he shares.<\/p>\n<h1>Further Implications of the Study<\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-block-quote-right\" style=\"color:#999999\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cA deep conceptual understanding of a topic would not only help students learn the topic well, but also prepare them to use the conceptual understanding to deal with new curriculum topics later on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><span class=\"st\"><b><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\">\u2013 <\/span><\/b><\/span><strong><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\"><\/span>David<\/strong>, on the importance of having a deep conceptual understanding of a topic<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The research project has important implications on how teachers can change their approach in teaching new topics and at the same time, foster deep learning in the classroom.<\/p>\n<p>David shares that the research team has given feedback to teachers that students had difficulties in answering conceptual questions, for example drawing models to illustrate and explain mathematical relationships.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBased on our observations, many students answered the questions by providing procedural steps instead,\u201d he states. \u201cThis suggests a need for developing students\u2019 <em>conceptual knowledge<\/em>, as well as strengthening the disciplinary language in explaining concepts and mathematical relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the study has shown that students who do not have prior exposure to fraction division have used their prior conceptual knowledge on whole number division and fraction multiplication to solve novel problems on fraction division.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, this implies that having procedural knowledge, while necessary, is not sufficient. \u201cA deep conceptual understanding of a topic would not only help students learn the topic well, but also prepare them to use the conceptual understanding to deal with new curriculum topics later on,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, for students who already had prior exposure to fraction division, their procedural flexibility of whole number division and fraction multiplication predicts their transfer in solving fraction division problems.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo strengthen students\u2019 procedural flexibility, teachers can encourage them to solve problems using as many methods as possible, even if some methods are not as efficient,\u201d he shares. \u201cThis flexibility could help students integrate the old curriculum topics they had learned before with new topics they are currently learning.\u201d<\/p>\n<h1>Enhancing Our Understanding of Creative Transfer<\/h1>\n<p>David shares that Study 2 will be rolled out in May 2022.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStudy 1 has provided us with an understanding on the different forms of domain knowledge that can influence creative transfer in learners,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStudy 2, meanwhile, seeks to examine \u2018compare and contrast\u2019 as a pedagogy in developing students\u2019 domain knowledge. It also looks at whether improving domain knowledge of already learned curriculum topics increases students\u2019 performance in creative transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The creative transfer of knowledge, he emphasizes, should be an essential feature in education. The payoff for meaningful instruction lies in not just an immediate retention of the learned information, but also in transfer to novel situations in future.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs future novel situations may not be known to the present teachers and learners, students need to be capable of dealing with transfer tasks that teachers cannot (or do not) directly prepare them for,\u201d he adds. \u201cHence, developing students\u2019 ability for creative transfer empowers them to be the future pillars of tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-block-quote-center\" style=\"color:#999999\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe payoff for meaningful instruction lies in not just an immediate retention of the learned information, but also in transfer to novel situations in future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><span class=\"st\"><b><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\">\u2013 <\/span><\/b><\/span><strong><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\"><\/span>David<\/strong>, on the benefits of creative transfer<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How do we define learning in the 21st century? According to NIE Senior Education Research Scientist Dr David [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":20138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[32,487],"tags":[233,488,490,491,492],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/singteach.nie.edu.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20137"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/singteach.nie.edu.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/singteach.nie.edu.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/singteach.nie.edu.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/singteach.nie.edu.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20137"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/singteach.nie.edu.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20140,"href":"https:\/\/singteach.nie.edu.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20137\/revisions\/20140"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/singteach.nie.edu.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/singteach.nie.edu.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/singteach.nie.edu.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/singteach.nie.edu.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}