Structural Knowledge
Structural knowledge is the organized accumulation of the things which you know and the connections between them. A person who can readily spit out random facts about disparate ideas would not be said to have a structural knowledge of the subject, but if you can see how a new concept you are learning about fits into the broader context of the discipline, particularly your knowledge thereof, then you would have structural knowledge in that area. I like the idea that the main difference between novices and experts is that experts can pick out what’s missing, not just evaluate what is there. I see this all the time in seminars, paper reviews, or just in talking about my work with my advisor or someone else. An expert will see not just what you’ve done, but what you haven’t done. This is because they have the knowledge to understand not only what someone is presenting, but to put it in context using their structural knowledge of the discipline.
Prior knowledge
If the basis for learning is being able to fit new concepts/ideas into one’s consciousness based on some prior knowledge, as cognitive theory suggests, then we have to be able to define “prior knowledge.” This is simply another way of saying “what we already know.” Simply put, if you think of the brain like a computer, prior knowledge represents the information already on the hard drive. In cognitive theory prior knowledge is whatever is in the permanent memory. Cognitive theory is based on the idea that learning occurs when the student compares what is being learned, or tossed around in the working memory to what is already known in the permanent memory. I would liken it to finding a new shirt and trying to find space for it in your closet. If it is a totally new kind of shirt, you first must identify it as a shirt, therefore distinctive from pants or shoes, but not entirely unlike other shirts or jackets you may have. Then you pick out specific features of the shirt which distinguish it from other shirts, but guide the process of choosing where to put it. The process of describing the item and figuring out where to put it would fall under the subset of cognitive theory known as concept learning. You’re already familiar with the concept “shirt” but now need to identify distinguishing characteristics of this new shirt to place it in context. In this example, the concept “shirt” represents your prior knowledge, while the process of picking out key characteristics of this new shirt (buttons, collars, etc.) represents the act of learning. Constructivist theory suggests that your concept of “shirt” is determined by your previous experiences with shirts, and that you’ll fit this new shirt in somewhere, and alter your concept of shirt as you experience this new item. Just as everyone has their own unique style, everyone has their own unique concept of “shirt” based on their previous experiences with shirts, therefore, everyone will learn this new shirt based on this unique worldview.
Learning style = teaching style?
Upon reflection, I can see that my learning style definitely impacts my teaching style. When teach CHGN 126 lab I would often demonstrate skills that the students would need for the day’s lab before them, then have them return to their bench and practice while I walked around and gave pointers. For example, when they had to learn titrations I showed them an example titration, then had them put some indicator in water and titrate it as a practice while I came around and watched them. If I were more of a “diverger,” prone to learn by “reflective observance,” then I might have thought that most students would get it the first time simply by watching someone else perform the operation. It would be difficult to learn titrations by “concrete experience” as there is very little to “feel” in the process, but perhaps that speaks to the reason why so many students have a tough time learning this relatively simple lab technique. In teaching this technique I would often ask students to think about what was actually going on in the flask when they saw the color change indicating the end of the titration. In this way I would like to think I was promoting deeper learning, but it may not have helped anyway. You really don’t need to know anything about the concept of acid/base chemistry to make a solution turn pink by adding another solution.
My learning style
I first heard of the concept of different learning styles during a three day ACA kayak instructor’s course. We were asked to think of the 4 types of learners in Kolb’s model in terms of how we would teach kayak skills like paddling and skulling, but the concept is valid for anyone in any situation. I think my learning style could best be described as a combination of “active experimentation” and “abstract conceptualiazation,” making me a type 3 “converger.” For example, when I took up whitewater kayaking this spring I spent a fair amount of time in the pool trying to learn the combat roll, a necessary skill. I found it remarkable that very few people, particularly other students, could explain how to execute the roll without simply saying “watch me.” Eventually I found another person who had been kayaking for 25 years and who gave me a dvd that explained how to do it. I watched the dvd several times and thought about the concepts of resistance and center-of-gravity with respect to the movement I was trying to execute. Thinking through complex movements helps me learn physical skills because, frankly I’m uncoordinated. If I understand the various components of the movement at the intellectual level then I’m better able to diagnose what I am doing wrong when I try to actually perform the movement. The “active experimentation” came when I actually tried to execute the combat roll over and over until I eventually got it. This didn’t come in the winter pool sessions, but rather later on through actually running whitewater with more experienced kayakers who could retrieve my boat if I couldn’t execute the roll and had to wet exit. I think I eventually learned the roll because I understood the mechanics of it at an intellectual level and tried it again and again when I was on the water until I had it down.
