Richard Jones

In order for students to transfer what they know to unique and novel situations, they must know more than the surface features of a problem. They must also understand the deep structure and underlying patterns that connect situations. I am now investing significantly more instructional time in explicitly teaching students to recognize these patterns and apply them across different situations. One way I am doing this is through extensive modeling of expert thinking, using worked examples to make the underlying patterns visible, followed by lots of opportunities for students to practice applying those patterns in varied contexts. I am also working with students to build automaticity with essential patterns through cover-write-check retrieval practice, using anchor charts like the one pictured. The goal is for students to move beyond simply remembering isolated facts or examples and develop the ability to recognize, retrieve, and apply the underlying pattern when they encounter a new situation. Ultimately, if we want students to transfer knowledge, we have to explicitly teach them what to look for beneath the surface and give them enough varied practice to make recognizing those patterns increasingly automatic.