Transfer of learning is the act of developing separate but related skills in relation to each other. Not all transfer of learning is beneficial, and, in fact, one form of study can sometimes be detrimental to another. However, in the majority of cases, a positive correlation can be found between related skills and practices. Transfer of learning can be implemented when establishing a strong foundation for permanent skills and knowledge. Taking advantage of the process can also be greatly helpful when attempting to strengthen a particularly weak skill by focusing on things that come more naturally.
Positive transfer occurs when learning one skill assists in learning another. The example provided by David Perkins of Harvard University lies in the learning of two distinct languages (Perkins). While the two languages may have little in common in terms of phonemes or grammar, developing the processes needed for learning one languages can be greatly beneficial toward learning another. The opposite of positive transfer is negative transfer, in which the mental processes used in learning one skill work against the processes needed for another. According to Perkins, negative transfer is at its most common in the earliest stages of developing a new skill, before new habits come in to replace the old (Perkins). In most cases, transfer of learning happens between two clearly correlated skills, but transfer between two seemingly unrelated skills, or far transfer, still occurs.
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On a large scale, such as in curriculum design for a class or for multiple classes, transfer of learning is best implemented within the straight-forward bounds of near transfer. Only when it is certain that two skills are linked enough for the practice to be universally beneficial is it worth the time to bring transfer of learning into the curriculum. Because of the variety of ways in which different people learn, it is beneficial to take advantage of kinesthetic, visual, auditory, and other forms of learning in order to spread the lesson across the proper contexts. It is also necessary to rotate between these different forms of learning rather than focus solely on one form before moving on to the next. In this way, each student is able to fully implement transfer of learning from the contexts best suited to them personally. If a student must wait until the end of the lesson plan before being acquainted with a learning context that works for them, then that student will struggle compared to the rest.
The three types of learning: cognitive, affective, and phychomoter, reflect the three aspects of a skill that a student must demonstrate in order to have succeeded in learning that skill. In terms of transfer of learning, the practice of related skills can be used in order to strengthen particular domains of the target skill. For example, when learning a piano piece, a student may be cognitively successful, able to carry a map of the piece in their mind and know exactly what their hands should be doing. However, the psychomotor aspect of the skill may be lagging. In this case, the student may practice scales and hand exercises in order to improve muscle memory and agility, allowing the student to succeed in each domain of the skill.
According to Cathlin Macaulay, research fellow at the University of Edinburgh, it is necessary to have distinct learning and testing phases in order to determine to what degree transfer of learning has occurred (Macaulay, 11). First, the target skill must be introduced as the main focus. The student”s starting grasp of the skill must be determined, at which point this skill must be set aside for later. Once the skill is introduced, the student must be given the secondary skill as the primary focus. After developing this second skill, the student can then be reintroduced to the target skill, and their abilities measured once again. If the student”s ability has improved, then the study of the secondary skill has brought about successful transfer of learning.
