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Roger Greenaway's Active Reviewing Tips ~ ISSN 1465-8046
is no longer published but you
can view more back
issues in the ARCHIVES For Roger's blog and other writings please see the Guide to Active Reviewing |
|
Active Reviewing Tips 2.7 Transferring Learning
|
Active
Reviewing
Tips for Dynamic Experiential Learning http://reviewing.co.uk Active
Reviewing
Tips 2.7 TRANSFERRING LEARNING (1)
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1465-8046
~ ~ A C T I V E . R E V I E W I N G . T I P S ~ ~ FOR DYNAMIC EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING ~ ~ the free monthly newsletter associated with the ~ ~ 'GUIDE TO ACTIVE REVIEWING' http://reviewing.co.uk ~ ~ Editor: Roger Greenaway roger@reviewing.co.uk ~ ~ Vol. 2.7 July 1999 ~ ~ TRANSFERRING LEARNING (1) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ WELCOME
to
new readers - especially those who attended my
reviewing skills training workshop at XCL - and showed a special interest in the Transfer of Learning - the subject of this issue. I have collected and created a lot of material on the topic of 'learning transfer' so I will be spreading it out over future issues. There are too many 'tips' to squash into one ezine! OBSERVANT
readers
will notice that this July issue has crept into
CONTENTS
(TOP)
August - something to do with holidays. The August issue of Active Reviewing Tips will appear later this month. It is tempting to follow the practice of printed magazines and call this the 'October' issue, but I will not confuse you further. Nor will I rob northern hemisphere readers of your summer! ~
1 ~ HOW TO TRANSFER LEARNING
INTRODUCTION
Most
readers
of this publication would lose their jobs if
transfer of learning was not taking place. Transfer is a vital issue. Do you give it sufficient attention? What do you actually do to encourage it? In
this
issue I describe methods that are closely based on the
metaphor of 'transfer'. This metaphor can be a source of good ideas, but it is also a very limiting one - as I explain later. If
you
happen to work with adults, your first challenge is to
'transfer' the methods below from a 'youth' context into an adult one. The easiest way to do this is to mentally delete all references to 'young'! If
you
would rather go straight to transfer methods used with
adults, you will find 'warm seat' described at http://reviewing.co.uk/feedback.htm and you will find several much more active methods described in my 'Active Reviewing' article at http://reviewing.co.uk/actrev.htm The
ideas
below are based on books that I have already published
- described at http://reviewing.co.uk/_books.htm Future
issues
of Active Reviewing Tips will include new
unpublished material about how to transfer learning. ~
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OFFER
A
VARIETY OF METHODS FOR TRANSFER
Imagine
a
group of people trying to cross a river. The near bank
represents the course they have just attended. The far bank represents what they are going back to. How
do
they get across the river? What do they carry back with
them?
Memories?
Metaphors? Energy? Ideas? Diaries? Resolutions?
Plans? Reports? Stronger relationships? More confidence? More optimism? More understanding? Different attitudes? Changed behaviour? New choices? Whatever
they
carry, how long will it last?
Learning
and
development can be transferred in many ways and at
many levels. Offering
a
variety of methods increases the chances of each
person getting across the 'river' with something worth carrying and something that will last. Reviewing
throughout
a course develops people's abilities to
learn and 'connect' at many different levels. If
participants
take home an improved ability to make
connections, then they will be better able to connect back to their course experience whenever they need to. ~
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SOUNDTRACK
SOUNDTRACK
is
a visual method of transferring learning from one
situation to another. Young
people
may find it difficult to believe that an activity
such as making an animal out of newspaper has anything to do with helping them to get on better with their parents. They may find it equally difficult to believe that abseiling down a waterfall can help them to get a job. If there are any connections to be made between activity-based learning and situations outside the course, then 'soundtrack' is an effective method for bringing out these potential connections. EXAMPLE 1 PAPER
ANIMAL
(LEVEL OF TRANSFER)
The
most
important feature of 'soundtrack' is that is designed to
find the most specific level at which transfer can happen. Using the paper animal (just mentioned) as an example, it could be said (at a very general level) that the activity increased a young person's confidence with the result that they now have the confidence to talk more openly with their parents. A
more specific level of transfer would result from (for
example)
finding out that (a) there were similarities between the group conflict during the activity and the kind of conflict experienced at home, and that (b) the young person played a key part in resolving the conflict during the activity. 'Soundtrack'
helps
the young person to produce a 'script'
summarising their achievement (in this example their achievement in resolving the conflict), and then helps them to identify parallels with another situation in which their successful strategy can be applied. THE
IDEAL
STARTING POINT
The
ideal
starting point for 'soundtrack' is immediately
following a significant individual or group achievement. (The 'individual' examples provided can be readily adapted for groups.) The experience may have already been partly reviewed. The satisfied participants may already be thinking about repeating the experience in some way. But the chances are that they are thinking about repeating the *activity* rather than about repeating the *experience*. EXAMPLE 2 TRANSFERRING
LEARNING
FROM AN EXPEDITION
Tell
(for
about 2 minutes) or write the outline story of your
expedition and divide the story into about six stages. (Alternatively base this on one significant event from the expedition.) Make
a
strip CARTOON (one picture for each stage) with the story
below each picture and with speech or thought bubbles above each picture. The bubbles should capture the essence of what you were saying or thinking at the time. Now
try
to draw a new strip cartoon above the expedition story,
using as many of the bubbles as possible, and changing as few words as possible. (The new strip cartoon might be about fundraising, campaigning, organising a youth or sports club, setting up a business). A
four part bubble sequence might read:
1)
We
could never do it! How could we get the money and
equipment? 2)
We've
achieved the impossible already - just getting
everything set up and ready to go. Let's hope it all works out. 3)
I'd
never have made it if it wasn't for the others - that's
what we all said. It was a brilliant team effort. 4)
There's
not many people who thought we'd go through with it
all. They said we didn't have the experience - but now we have! EXAMPLE 3 CLIMBING
1)
Sketch
your climbing route on A4 paper.
2)
Overlay
transparent plastic and add bubbles to show what you
were saying and thinking at different points of the climb. 3)
Add
comments from spectators if they affected you in any way.
4)
Lift
off the plastic film, and talk with a partner about other
situations (in your own experience) which this pattern of words could fit. If none come to mind, then wipe off some words (starting with those specific to climbing) until you can think of one. 5)
Describe
or sketch the similar situation. See how the words
fit and discuss any similarities and differences. 6)
Choose
a future occasion in which there are likely to be
challenges or difficulties (next activity or "back home") and produce a sketch or strip cartoon (including speech and thought bubbles) to show how you would like things to work out. ~
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'TRANSFER'
IS
A LIMITED METAPHOR
'Copy
and
paste' is how we 'transfer' text from one electronic
document to another. The text may look a bit different in its new location. So we might choose to alter the content or layout of the text so that it 'fits' or 'works' better in its new surroundings. How
closely
do these metaphors about transfer represent what
actually happens when we try to take what we have learned into the future? 'Copy',
'paste'
and 'transfer' are all metaphors that help us to
communicate in a useful but *inaccurate* way about the complex processes that are going on underneath. Because they are metaphors they don't describe what is really happening. Fortunately, we don't need to know anything about binary code and computer electronics in order to 'copy and paste' in word processing. And we don't need to know anything about the biochemistry of the brain in order to transfer learning (or help others do so). For
example,
there were many successful experiential learners
around before 'Right Brain - Left Brain' theory came on the scene. And many people were using their multiple intelligences before the theory of 'Multiple Intelligences' was developed. But
I
hope I have said enough to remind you that 'transfer' is a
simple label for a complex phenomenon. We should not allow the images conjured up by the word 'transfer' to limit what we actually do to make 'transfer' happen. The practical ideas and tips in later issues on this topic will come from both within and beyond the 'transfer' metaphor. For my more recent writing on transfer start here ~
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2 ~ REVIEWING IN LARGE GROUPS
Thanks
for
the positive feedback received about issue 2.6 on
''reviewing with large groups''. If you missed it, you can find a copy of this and other back issues in the ARCHIVES If
you
just want the 'large groups' section without the rest of
the ezine, you will now find a better presented version at: http://reviewing.co.uk/toolkit/large_groups.htm By
the
way, critical feedback is welcome too!
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3 ~ ARE YOU USING ACTIVE REVIEWING TIPS?
Please
write
in with your own experiences of trying out ideas
from Active Reviewing Tips - however things worked out. If you would like to write in on any ''reviewing'' topic please send your message to roger@reviewing.co.uk (for private messages) or to roger@reviewing.co.uk (for publication). If there is any doubt, I will always contact you to ask your permission before publishing anything you write. ~
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4 ~ ACTIVE REVIEWING DISCUSSION LIST (survey)
It
doesn't
exist yet, but I might set one up if there is
sufficient interest from readers of this ezine. If so, I will start one up some time in the year 2000 - in addition to this newsletter. As a fan of interactive reviewing methods, a more interactive list could be a good route to follow. What do you think? If you would like to take part in a discussion list on active reviewing please send a blank email to ONE of the three addresses below: PLEASE
NOTE:
This is just a survey. Sending an email to one of
the above addresses is simply an expression of interest and does not commit you (or me) to anything. Except that I will publish the numbers of votes in the next issue. (For a 'no' vote just do nothing!) ~
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5 ~ MORE THERAPY LINKS
Action,
Activity,
Expressive, Photo, Horticulture, Occupational,
Psychodrama and Drama, Writing/Narrative, Animal Assisted, Art, Dance/Movement, Recreational, Experiential, Music, Massage, Mind-Body, Meditation, Play, Bibliotherapy, Poetry, Adventure ... Christian
Itin's
page 'Experiential Practice in Social Work' is
probably the most extensive list of therapy links on the web - even though it is apparently still 'under construction'. In
case
you have not followed this 'thread' in previous issues, I
am including therapy links in Active Reviewing Tips because many of these therapies (perhaps even horticulture!) can be a great source of ideas for active reviewing - where the emphasis is learning rather than healing. Let
us
know if you use or convert any ideas from therapy into
active reviewing methods. Perhaps you have already done so? Write to: roger@reviewing.co.uk ~
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6 ~ UPDATE ON REVIEWING.CO.UK
Not
a
lot to report during this holiday season. But you will now
find that the home page is much improved - both in looks and content. When I look back at my home page of six months ago I am very pleased with the changes. When I look at other home pages I feel there is still plenty of room for improvement. Regular
readers
will notice a familiar theme creeping in here!
Measuring progress against the past can often be of greater benefit than measuring progress towards a goal. Looking back helps you to appreciate how much you are learning. The trick for every learner is to find the right balance between looking backwards and looking forwards. If
you
do find your way to my new home page
(http://reviewing.co.uk), tell me what you think of it. This opening page is intended to be more friendly and informative. So it should be less confusing for people new to the web. If it works, repeat visitors should now discover interesting and relevant pages they missed on earlier visits. ~
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7 ~ THE BEST SEARCH PAGE ON THE WEB
This
is
really a tip for readers of my other ezine SiteFinder,
but it's so good I must tell you in case you don't receive both. searchiq.com
[used to] give 'IQ' ratings and snappy reviews of the best performing multi-search engines. You can also check the IQ score of your current favourite engine or directory. If it's much below 150 you'll want to switch to the top-rated search engine which is currently: http://infind.com [since disappeared] Don't
ask
me how they do it. And don't bother trying to tell me!
Just enjoy the speed and efficiency and be amazed at how quick and easy web searching has become just lately. You'll
find
more hints and links on my recently updated training
and education search pages at: http://reviewing.co.uk/search.htm ~
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THANK
YOU
Thank
you
to readers who have been forwarding their copies of
Active Reviewing Tips - or promoting it in other ways. Circulation has now reached 421 people - without any bribery! If you like what you read, please forward this issue to a friend who will appreciate receiving it. Thanks! :-) ~
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3
WAYS TO SAY THANKS FOR THIS FREE EZINE
1. Send comments, questions or tips to: roger@reviewing.co.uk 2. Ask a friend to view: http://reviewing.co.uk/_ezines.htm 3. Buy ANY book online from Amazon.co.uk via my coded link: www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/redirect-home/reviewingskillst I receive a commission if you buy a book via this link :-) |
Roger Greenaway's Active Reviewing Tips ~ ISSN 1465-8046
is no longer published but you
can view more back
issues in the ARCHIVES For Roger's blog and other writings please see the Guide to Active Reviewing |
|
HOME |
HELP |