Berryman, Sue E., Designing Effective Learning Environments: Cognitive Apprenticeship Models, Colombia University, New York Institute on Education and the Economy, September 1991.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED337689.pdf 

Pace University

It is a common trend in schools- not only elementary and secondary schools, but even college classrooms, adult literacy classes and corporate training courses- to fail to capitalize what is already known about how people learn. There are 5 common assumptions about how people learn and these need to be discussed in order to design effective school-based learning. 

Designing Effective Learning Environments: Cognitive Apprenticeship Models 

Schools are supposed to prepare students for the real world/situations. It is a common assumption that people automatically are able to connect a concept learned in the classroom, to a real life situation. This is false. Not every person has the ability to easily connect a concept to an experience or new situations and it shouldn't be assumed or predicted so. 

1st Assumption: People predictably transfer learning from one situation to another.

This assumption arises from the common idea that the purpose of education is simply to transmit society’s knowledge and culture from one generation to the next. This assumption also leads to more lecture based classrooms where the teacher has control which undercuts the students’ development of cognitive management skills; such as goal-setting, strategic planning, monitoring, evaluating, and revising- capabilities that are crucial for effective learning, 


2nd Assumption: Learners are passive receivers of wisdom- vessels into which knowledge is poured.

The school system teaches students to memorize information to later regurgitate onto an exam and receive a high score for getting correct answers. These methods are not effective for learning as students tend to only memorize the information for the exam and will not be able to apply the concepts later on in life. 

3rd Assumption: Learning is the strengthening of bonds between stimuli and correct responses.

This assumption is also false and harmful to a learner. Teachers should be aware and respect that students come to class with preconceived ideas and concepts from other sources. Students also tend to revert to their old ways when confronted with an out-of-school situation. 


4th Assumption: Learners are blank slates on which knowledge is inscribed.

Context however, is critical for understanding and therefore learning. Contexts give meaning to learning and without it, students will struggle to understand concepts. It is not surprising to find no predictable transfer to new situations as knowledge and procedures not well learned or understood, will not transfer appropriately. 


5th Assumption: That skills & knowledge, to be transferable to new situations, should be acquired independent of their context of use

Two models of teaching that were used in the past, and could be used today in replacement of the classroom model for more effective learning is the traditional apprenticeship learning model and Ideal learning environments. Both encouraged more active learning which had a greater result in students understanding. 

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