Skills need to be taught in the context in which they will be used. For example, if students are learning to add fractions for a word problem test, they need to practice fraction word problems, not just adding fractions.
Reading skills are subject-specific�understanding what you read in literature does not guarantee that you will read well in social studies.
Problem-solving skills in one subject (like reading) are different from those in other subjects (like math). Problem-solving skills need to be taught separately for each subject.
Since problem-solving skills do not automatically transfer from one subject to another, teachers need to show students how to transfer these skills and give them lots of practice.
Students need more and better mental models of the world in order to learn and master new information and skills.
Thinking skills such as inferring unstated facts need to be taught explicitly in the classroom, they do not develop on their own (except in a very few students). These strategies need to be practiced over and over again.
Most adult learners have a very limited number of strategies for understanding new material or solving problems. Teaching them more strategies can help them learn much better.
Learning lasts when the student understands the material, not just memorizes it.
Information needs to be presented in small chunks so that working memory can process it.
Students need immediate practice to move information from working memory to long-term memory.
It is impossible to remember without associating new information with what you already know.
Introduction
Thinking changes from being good at familiar subjects to being able to work in unfamiliar subjects.
Background knowledge is vital�it affects memory, reading, thinking, and problem solving.
People have informal beliefs about how the world works (e.g., about gravity), which interfere with learning.
Good teachers need to know what topics tend to be hard for students in the specific subject they teach, and effective ways to help students get past those roadblocks. They need subjectspecific teaching knowledge in addition to general teaching knowledge and subject knowledge.
This approach can be described as a �cognitive� or �constructivist� approach to learning, which is the focus of this book.
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