Developing Expertise

Module 2 Reflection: Expertise

Learning in School and other Settings

Module 2 centered around the subject of expertise. I learned that experts have their own language when speaking about a topic. They see things that novices don’t (which was keenly illustrated in our video narration assignment). Experts are skilled at chunking, or grouping information together in meaningful ways. They can see connections, and recognize patterns. Most importantly, experts have conditionalized knowledge, or the ability to access relevant information quickly and apply it to a real-world situation or problem.

During Module 2, we looked at how schemas help learners organize information and predict outcomes. Learners develop schemas, or mental patterns that help them solve problems and understand the world around them. Teachers must help students build on schemas and help students connect new information with preexisting schemas. Also, we must help students retrieve prior knowledge in a quick and accurate way. Schemas can be adjusted and students can learn when they engage with a text, in a conversation, or have an educational experience.

This reminded me how important it is for learners to engage in new experiences. It is also important for teachers to consider the background knowledge that students come into the classroom with. Teachers must scaffold and help students make connections between prior knowledge, and new information.

The subjects of fluency and automaticity were the most intriguing subjects to me in Module 2. I have had some experience with this subject during reading professional developments, but I had never considered the importance of fluency in other areas of learning. My son, Rowan is just learning to crawl. Right now he must expend a great deal of mental effort to fine tune his balance as his body moves across the floor, he must think about his location in the room, orient himself to objects around him, and also keep his final destination in mind. Through practice, he will eventually develop automaticity. Soon, crawling will require little mental bandwidth for him, and he will not have to think about it so much. This will free up mental energy, and he will be able to focus his mental efforts on other things.

In one of my discussion posts, I spoke to fluency and automaticity in the context of learning a language and playing an instrument. Once a person achieves fluency in speaking a language, they can begin to truly experience the joys of the conversation. Their mental effort can be invested in the topics of the conversation, rather than the construction of the sentences. Once a musician achieves fluency in playing an instrument, they can focus on the tone and emotive qualities of the music, rather than the notes or rhythm of the song. By developing automaticity of the fundamentals, learners can excel at a higher level in their subject, which then allows them to focus their energies in other ways.

Bransford, J.D., Brown , A.L., & Cocking, R.R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

Wiseman, Dennis. February 2008. Scheme Theory: Using Cognitive Structures in Organizing Knowledge. Research Brief 10. Spanoni College of Education. Biddle Center for Teaching and Learning.