Thoughts on Transfer Theory

As I was listening to the interview lecture between Dr. Arterbury and Dr. Jenkins, I made many connections between transfer theory and 21^st century learners.  In the simplest terms, I would describe 21^st century skills as those that require students to think – to analyze a problem, develop an approach for solving it, and to be able to communicate effectively with others throughout the process.  Gone are the days when only learning content matters; students have to transfer their knowledge of content to a wide variety of contexts.  This is also the essence of transfer theory as described by Dr. Arterbury.  In the transfer theory of learning, a student must be able to take knowledge gained and apply it to new and different situations.  For example, if a student is only taught an algorithm for solving addition problems, it is unlikely he will be able to use his understanding of addition to solve a multiplication problem.  However, if the student is taught addition through manipulatives and pictures, the likelihood increases that the student’s understanding of addition will transfer to new understandings of multiplication.

In this course we are required to have some leadership experience as a prerequisite.  It makes great sense that this will help us transfer the content/knowledge we gain from the course to our professional working roles.  Already as I am reading the text, working on assignments, watching the lectures and utilizing the blog I am making connections – or transferring – between the teachings of this course and my professional work.

We used to only be consumers of knowledge and content.  Now, as learners, we need to create, collaborate, and make many connections between that content and new contexts.  Transfer theory supports this concept.