WEEK #3 Content and Key Concepts Summary
SMART LEarning objectives
Learning Objectives for Week #3
Upon completion of this week's content you should be able to:
Upon completion of this week's content you should be able to:
- Discuss the the strengths and weaknesses of the two systems of learning.
- Decide the appropriate techniques to be used when attempting to overcome the illusion of knowing.
- Recommend an approach to over come the "Curse of Knowledge" in creating New Hire materials for a Care Center New Hire program.
Week #3 Content Summaries
Jeffrey Karpicke: Student Assessment Part 1
In this video Jeffrey Karpicke discusses the benefits assessments, specifically when coupled with retrieval practices. Karpicke highlights the findings of several studies that showed the positive results of combining different approaches to learning. One of the most exciting results was from the combining of retrieval practices that used clues students wrote while learning the material. There was a significant increase in the one-week test scores of learners who use this combined approach. Kirpicke also discusses the ease with which this type of practice could be taught to new learners, allowing them to grasp new and complex ideas with ease (Karpicke, 2012). |
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Chapter 5 - Avoid Illusions of Knowing
Chapter 5 begins with a look at the two systems of knowing: System 1, the automatic response system and System 2, thinking system. These two systems generally work in tandem and that is when your results are consistent and as expected. Conversely, when these two systems work to override you end up having very inconsistent results. It is important to understand how to best utilize the strengths of each of these systems. Each one has strengths and opportunities. System 1 is very quick and can respond almost instantly; however, it is very susceptible to illusions. System 2 takes a little while long to kick in but it will weigh the options of a choice and ensure that you are making the best decision. The trick is to train system 2 to spot illusions for system 1 very quickly and for system 1 to learn from the experiences of system 2. This will allow the split second decisions of system 1 to be more accurate and less instinctual.
Chapter 5 also discusses the importance of understanding the illusions that come with memory. These can range from a simple blank that is filled in by our natural hunger for narration or the entire rewriting of a series of events based on distortions caused by outside influences. Sometime these illusions of memory fallacies can be simple and harmless or completely change the experiences someone has… or thinks that s/he has had. Memories can be distorted or changed by both internal and external factors. For example if you are remembering a happy childhood event you might fill in the blank and say that the weather was sunny and warm, simply because it happened in the middle of July. Eventually after retelling that story enough times, you will remember the weather, although it was not part of the original memory. You may also find you memories being altered by events and/or people around you. If you do not remember a family trip to Disney World when you were five, your entire memory of that trip will be created by your travel companions. The stories your parents tell and the inferences you make by looking at photos will be all that remains of your trip. These memories will become so vivid that you will eventually remember the events exactly as they have been described to you.
Another topic discussed in this chapter is the way in which memories can change our perceptions. The curse of knowledge is far too often overlooked when evaluating a course curriculum. This curse is what sometimes makes it so difficult for a Subject-Matter-Expert to effectively write instructions for completing a process or procedure. When someone becomes so knowledgeable in a given field, it becomes difficult for him/her to remember what it was like to be a novice (Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014).
In order to overcome these misconceptions, fallacies, illusions and curses it is important that you have an effective method to calibrate your judgment. You need to create a feedback process, which includes peer evaluations, cues to self-judge your learning and you should have a process feedback. These techniques will help you avoid the illusions of knowing.
Chapter 5 begins with a look at the two systems of knowing: System 1, the automatic response system and System 2, thinking system. These two systems generally work in tandem and that is when your results are consistent and as expected. Conversely, when these two systems work to override you end up having very inconsistent results. It is important to understand how to best utilize the strengths of each of these systems. Each one has strengths and opportunities. System 1 is very quick and can respond almost instantly; however, it is very susceptible to illusions. System 2 takes a little while long to kick in but it will weigh the options of a choice and ensure that you are making the best decision. The trick is to train system 2 to spot illusions for system 1 very quickly and for system 1 to learn from the experiences of system 2. This will allow the split second decisions of system 1 to be more accurate and less instinctual.
Chapter 5 also discusses the importance of understanding the illusions that come with memory. These can range from a simple blank that is filled in by our natural hunger for narration or the entire rewriting of a series of events based on distortions caused by outside influences. Sometime these illusions of memory fallacies can be simple and harmless or completely change the experiences someone has… or thinks that s/he has had. Memories can be distorted or changed by both internal and external factors. For example if you are remembering a happy childhood event you might fill in the blank and say that the weather was sunny and warm, simply because it happened in the middle of July. Eventually after retelling that story enough times, you will remember the weather, although it was not part of the original memory. You may also find you memories being altered by events and/or people around you. If you do not remember a family trip to Disney World when you were five, your entire memory of that trip will be created by your travel companions. The stories your parents tell and the inferences you make by looking at photos will be all that remains of your trip. These memories will become so vivid that you will eventually remember the events exactly as they have been described to you.
Another topic discussed in this chapter is the way in which memories can change our perceptions. The curse of knowledge is far too often overlooked when evaluating a course curriculum. This curse is what sometimes makes it so difficult for a Subject-Matter-Expert to effectively write instructions for completing a process or procedure. When someone becomes so knowledgeable in a given field, it becomes difficult for him/her to remember what it was like to be a novice (Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014).
In order to overcome these misconceptions, fallacies, illusions and curses it is important that you have an effective method to calibrate your judgment. You need to create a feedback process, which includes peer evaluations, cues to self-judge your learning and you should have a process feedback. These techniques will help you avoid the illusions of knowing.
Chapter 6 - Get Beyond Learning Styles
Chapter six is an eye-opening chapter. In this chapter, the author discusses the importance on understanding learning styles... but not the VAK learning styles. The VAK learning styles have been long seen as the best way to teach someone new concepts. The idea that someone is best suited to learn something based solely on a style preference is not valid. It is important instead, that you focus on the concepts that are being taught instead of the way in which they are being taught. Learners must take an active role in their learning. There are many different types of intelligence and it is best to cast a wide net when attempting to learn a new topic (Brown et al., 2014).
Learners must adopt an active approach to learning, utilizing the concepts covered in the preceding chapters. interleaving, retrieval and spacing are key. These skills will allow you to better understand the meaning of a subject rather than just the concepts that are being taught. When you distill the concepts into the underlying meaning, you are better prepared to adapt the knowledge and use it in other ways. This will allow for greater meaning and a better ability to utilize the information learned.
Chapter six is an eye-opening chapter. In this chapter, the author discusses the importance on understanding learning styles... but not the VAK learning styles. The VAK learning styles have been long seen as the best way to teach someone new concepts. The idea that someone is best suited to learn something based solely on a style preference is not valid. It is important instead, that you focus on the concepts that are being taught instead of the way in which they are being taught. Learners must take an active role in their learning. There are many different types of intelligence and it is best to cast a wide net when attempting to learn a new topic (Brown et al., 2014).
Learners must adopt an active approach to learning, utilizing the concepts covered in the preceding chapters. interleaving, retrieval and spacing are key. These skills will allow you to better understand the meaning of a subject rather than just the concepts that are being taught. When you distill the concepts into the underlying meaning, you are better prepared to adapt the knowledge and use it in other ways. This will allow for greater meaning and a better ability to utilize the information learned.
Connections to a Care Center Learning & Development Team
The Concepts covered in Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 are exactly what a cutting edge Learning and Development team needs in the Care Center environment. There are many common preconceived notions when it comes to teach both New Hires and Incumbent associates on this setting. Several of the concepts are common problems plaguing our thinking. It is crucial that as Learning and Development professionals we look for new and innovative ways to approach learning. The curse of knowledge is one of the biggest problems that are encountered with a tenured workforce. This, combined with a constantly changing competitive landscape further reinforces the need to always look at our training programs through the eyes of our associates. The concepts of peer review and group evaluation will help us to ensure that we are giving the associates just what they need to be successful and to deliver a differentiated customer experience.
Suggestions for Implementation
As mentioned earlier in this page, the curse of knowledge is far too often overlooked when evaluating a New Hire course curriculum. Many times, we look to Subject-Matter-Experts (SMEs) to help us create curriculum for our newest associates. The problem is that the SMEs find it hard to remember a time when they did not know the information that they are now experts in. This is why it is crucial that we, as learning professions, must take the information provided by the SMEs and distill it down in a way that makes it easy to understand. This can be difficult at times, as we must not only remember the information as it is new to us, we must also translate the information and become experts. One of the ways to do this is to create training materials as we learn the new information. This will ensure that we are capturing the information as it is being learned and before we succumb to the curse of knowledge. Another approach to aid in the distillation of knowledge it to check in with our new associates and make sure that the information we are creating is appropriate for all of our associates.
Formative Assessment—Quizlet SPELLER
Please review the following Learning Activity to practice this week's concepts. In addition to the Speller option, you may click through additional learning practices by accessing the Study Mode menu. It is located in the bottom right of the section.
References
Brown, P.C., Roediger, H.L., & McDaniel, M.A. (2014). Make it stick: The science of successful learning.
Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Jeffrey Karpicke on the role of assessment on learning at the conference "Student assessment"
Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CioabgMyFlA
Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Jeffrey Karpicke on the role of assessment on learning at the conference "Student assessment"
Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CioabgMyFlA