Failed Transfer

In the first T&L Briefing of 2020 I delivered some research on Failed Transfer – this was one way to shake off the sleepy chocolate-coma of Christmas!

What can teachers do about the impediments to the successful transference of competency from one domain to another?

At RPCC we have been exploring the AO skills that are common amongst GCSE subjects and so far our work has linked:

English + Music

English + RE

English + History

(Bet you can’t guess which subject I teach?!)

Our endeavors have provided heartening success born-out in the data from each of these GCSE subjects – our hypothesis being:  if our students have the knowledge to apply the skill of evaluation in English, why can’t they apply it in each of the other subjects that require the same GCSE skill?

We coached Year 9, 10 and 11 students in class – we presented a WTM in the hall and we marked their papers cross-curricularly and the results were powerful.  So, with the success of this in-house study still fresh in our minds this particular piece of research seemed pertinent.

The research reminds us that, at the centre of all that we do and teach, we are united in our belief that the education we provide fortifies the whole child and should give them skills required beyond the classroom: for family…society…the economy.  Certainly at our school we have designed academic and pastoral provision that seeks to embed collaborative skills, creativity and critical thinking to support our children in their readiness for the world.

This research breaks down the elements of Failed Transfer in to three areas (which is perfect for a 10-minute T&L Briefing slot!):

1.Knowledge:  this particular element of Failed Transfer struck a chord – should we be afeard to incorporate learning by rote (incidentally, Student Voice at RPCC has indicated that there is a high level of enjoyment and reassurance in the regular low-stakes testing that is fuelling the start of many lessons at our school each day). We were reminded that Knowledge precedes skills – obviously, and that Critical thinking cannot happen unless sufficient factual knowledge is obtained. Without Knowledge embedded (by whatever means) Failed Transfer is inevitable – should we go back to basics lest we forget that we have the subject knowledge that our students require – our job is not to entertain (unless it comes naturally, of course!) but to impart the knowledge required before the skill can be taught…?

2.Contextualisation:  Take collaboration…

When performing surgery, collaboration requires individuals to apply their respective expertise in order to achieve a specific outcome. This often requires assertive communication with little regard for open debate.(Green & Johnson – Interprofessional collaboration in research education – )

Teachers at RPCC will regularly endure my proclamations about the importance of collaborative work within our classrooms – encouraging our students to discuss, engage and consult on a given subject is a worthy skill for life but…to avoid Failed Transfer:

1. Knowledge (must be embedded first)
2. Knowledge is then Synthesised
3. Contextualised then…
4. Skills will emerge

3.Adaptation: Perhaps most powerful is this piece of academic research from Chase & Ericsson which details a 2 year memorisation study involving 2 teenage boys (we’re still wondering how they were persuaded to start – let alone remain – in such a lengthy and perhaps not very exciting study?!) and their task was to learn a sequence of digits. They were instructed to practise for 3/5 hours a week (I know…imagine if some of our students committed to any form of independent study for 3/5 HOURS a week?!) and at the end of the 2 years the boys were able to recall 70 digits, compared with 7 at the start of the study. However, when asked to switch to reciting a sequence of consonants believing that the skill of memorisation had been acquired, the boys reverted back to only being able to recite 7 so…

1. Effort and engagement in learning a new skill must be taught
2. Automaticity kills adaptation
3. Repeating same skills (behavioural/academic) in many settings will improve adaptation.

Is it all about routine & high expectations…?  The discussions in our Briefing would suggest yes – but the knowing this is the easy part!

What has been most interesting is the response to the idea of adapting behaviour skills – what is learned exemplary behaviour in one classroom can be adapted to all classrooms if the same set of systems and routines are consistently adhered to, it would seem. And one Maths teacher has endured a steady stream of visitors in to her classroom this week to observe the impact of teaching behaviour for learning skills that ensures a calm and productive classroom environment – but this was no easy task and her endurance and strength of belief in the importance of teaching behaviour for learning skills every lesson has only now paid off – the students are able to adapt these learnt skills to any/every Maths lesson.

Learning is the only freely transferable skill we know – those who know how to learn effectively and efficiently will succeed in any novel situation:

It’s always more rewarding to deliver research that has a concrete suggestion for application at its conclusion and this research did just that for us!  So, the take away message:

BE EXPLICIT:  ask your students

• Where have you seen this material before?
• How is this similar or different to what you learned last week?
• What previously learned skills do you think might be relevant here?

And finally – Practise & adapt similar skill sets across varied domains and contexts including Curriculum areas and within and between Pastoral teams.