One of the concepts presented in this book on numerous occasions was the one of "Practice Improves Transfer". The idea behind it seems simple. The more we do something the easier it is to build that base of knowledge that we can use to relate or solve problems that are new to us. They give an example of going on a trip to Mexico and you can save money by exchanging US dollars for Mexican pesos. As adults we know that we need other information to find out what amount to bring in money.
They point out that not everything can be practiced. This can be based on past practices or what is related to things that we do or teach to our students. Teachers in different fields may feel that there is a need to teach certain knowledge in regards to the subject matter and the more we practice this the better background for occasions later that arise.
Practice also does not have to occur over a short span but can be spaced out to get better results. Students need time to be able to think through how they will apply what they know.
We base our interpretations on our past associations with similar topics. They pointed out that we don't have to make the selection conciously, thinking what meaning does it have but it just pops up and you know which is t he correct way to interpret it. It is like I used on my blabberize activity - practice practice practice. This helps to build that base which can be used for understanding new topics. The book itself overall stressed this same thing each chapter about past associations are needed to build a strong interpretation skill.
This practice concept is already used in the classroom. The book basically re-enforced that what we do as teachers is correct and best for our students to learn. The more we expose them to and practice will give them a great base of knowledge to use as a tool to figure to key elements out. We as teachers need to continue to build upon what the teacher before us has done so we give our students the best possible chance at being successful.
I agree that practice is so important to improving our student's learning, but also our own. Like you said when working on your Blabberize, practice was needed to improve your product. This class is giving us the opportunity to try new Web 2.0 skills and tools and put them into use in our own teaching. I've had so much fun using Voicethread and Animoto with my class.
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