CS 2910: Session 2: Learning

1. Learning

   • Caveat: I have not formal training in cognitive science.
   • Much of your brain is automatically pre-processing information for your conscious mind to work with.
   • Example: 7 + 3.
     • your brain probably supplies you with ten and a sum and seven and three.
     • but it used to just do math plus, three and seven.
     • and before that angular line, crossing lines, and stacked curved lines.
   • The sensation-into-information routines are schemata (for example, seeing 7 → thinking “seven” is a schema).
   • You can also do those translations consciously where you do not yet have schemata.
   • Depending on how you measure, your working memory can hold 3-4 ideas at a time.
     • The load on that memory is split into three uses:
       1. Intrinsic load is needed to do the task at hand. You can’t sum numbers without the numbers in your mind. But intrinsic load depends on your available schemata; for many of us, 7 + 3 is resolved to “ten” subconsciously.
       2. Extraneous load is distractions, like “I’m hungry” and “that’s an odd accent” and “why does it smell like a gym in here?” and “I’m so stressed!”
       3. Germane load is used by the learning part of your brain to build schemata.
     • Roughly speaking, the goal of educators is
       • Make tasks small enough not to overload memory with intrinsic load
       • Make tasks large enough there is scope for building new schemata
       • Minimize the extraneous load, thus maximizing the germane load

2. Self-distraction and Stress

   • People often create their own extraneous load because they are
     • Bored (the mind wanders)
     • Stressed (one definition of stress: wasting time thinking about how stressed you are)
   • Thus you, as a TA, want to be
     • Interesting (but not too distracting)
     • Calming
   • A hurried-, stressed-, or annoyed-seeming TA can add stress to students, impeding learning and increasing TA workload
     • TAing is in part a form of emotional labor

3. Aside: learning styles

   • There are different ways to present information: a picture, a story, an example, manipulatives, acting it out, etc.
   • Research suggests that
     • Most people have a preferred presentation style (one might be happier with pictures than with words, for example)
       • This does correlate to learning, in part because the matching style is more interesting (less self-distraction)
     • Most lessons have a best presentation style (stacks might be best taught visually, for example)
       • This trumps preferences in the studies I’ve seen; better the right medium for the topic than the prefered medium of the student
     • Everyone learns best if shown the information in several styles
   • Hence, switch it up. Prepare ways to present each topic in 2+ styles.

4. Discussion of tutoring practices and this framework

   • (details vary by session)