EDGS646 Index

Reference:

Sweller, J. (1991). Some modern myths of cognition and instruction. In J. B. Briggs (Ed.), Teaching for learning: The view from cognitive psychology (pp. 71-83). Melbourne: ACER.

• Myth 1. The knowledge explosion is such that we cannot possibly teach people all they need to know because human cognitive capacity is so limited. (p. 72)

• Myth 2. Because the amount of knowledge we are able to assimilate is so restricted (see Myth 1), our educational systems should emphasise not knowledge, but rather, thinking and problem solving. In this way we will not burden our children with knowledge that will become outdated and irrelevant. (p. 73)

• Myth 3. Most of the problems presented to school children are, in reality, routine exercises. We should teach children how to solve real problems. (p. 75)

• Myth 4. We should teach heuristics. (p. 75)

• Myth 5. Practice at solving many conventional problems is an eddicient way of gaining problem-solving expertise. (p. 76)

• Myth 6. Students fail to demonstrate transfer from one problem-solving task to another because they lack general problem-solving skills. (p. 79)

EDGS646 Index