| Compare Contrast Paper - Experts and Novices In the National Research Council's book, How People Learn, we are given several characteristics of an expert. An expert sees "meaningful patterns of information" that the novice does not notice. Their learning includes more "chunks" of knowledge which help them to recall these patterns more easily. Expers unsurprisingly have a great deal of "content knowledge" in various areas that reflect their extreme understanding of the material. In addition, experts are able to retrieve this knowledge easily, wasting little effort in recalling the information. This knowledge is also applicable to many situations, and is referred to by our authors as "conditionalized knowledge." The expert relates their knowledge to situations, and the information is not merely a set of "isolated facts." Finally, expers are not necessariely adept at teaching this knowledge and skills to others. I believe that I am an expert hostess. I have been working at a restaurant for over three years, two of which I spent greeting guests at the front door. Because of my experience, I am able to recognize patterns of in the restaurant more easily than some of the newer hostesses. Often the new girls do not recognize where large parties fit best in the restaurant or where guests with disabilities will be most comfortable. Since I also wait tables, I also have a great deal of content knowledge about the restaurant. I can help guests who have questions about our food and operating procedures more easily than novice hostesses who do not know about all areas of the restaurant. I can retrieve this knowledge without much effort, and I know how my knowledge of hosting applies to the restaurant at large. Finally, I definitely understand the frustrations with teaching a new hostess the rules of our restaurant. I train all of the new girls, and many times they frustrate me because they do not understand a job which I find very easy. In our reading we were also given various characteristics of a novice. Knowledge for novices is usually not conditionalized like than of the expert. The novice's knowledge bank consists primarily of unrelated facts. Also their problem solving methods involve more memorizing and recalling information instead of looking at the big concepts. Novices are also less likely to recognize patterns of meaningful information. The retreival of knowledge is much more difficult for the novice than the expert. Finally, the novice does not have the same level of flexibility when they encounter new situations as the expert does. My roommate, Hillary, is an expert when it comes to cooking, and I am definitely a novice. I am attempting to learn from her how to be a better "chef," but after cooking together only a few times, I do not know if that will happen. She has so much knowledge about food and the best ways to put it together that I do not have. I can read a recipe, and follow the facts that are presented to me, but I am not good at drawing in related knowledge about spices and cooking times to improve the food. If I look in various cook books I can usually find the best way to skin a tomato, but I cannot recall that knowledge easily like my roommate. Perhaps after continuing practice I will achieve expert status in the kitchen as well. The biggest difference I notice as I examine myself as an expert and a novice is the degree of confidence I posses in each situation. When I am working as a hostess, I rarely doubt my instincts and actions. However, in the kitchn, I rarely feel that confidence. I am always questioning myself, and I do not breathe a sigh of relief until the meal is over and no one is ill. I think instilling this confidence in my future students by encouraging them to become experts is profoundly important. |