How do children learn to use something they already know in a new situation?
A major route is analogy: noticing that two situations share the same relationship even when their surface details differ.[1]
How Toku uses this
Toku can place related patterns, logic structures and problem forms next to one another, then vary the surface details so your child has to identify what is structurally the same.
What research shows
Analogical reasoning has been associated with mathematics and science problem-solving performance in adolescents.[1]
Experiments show that connecting multiple instances can help children focus on shared relational structure rather than surface features.[2]
Analogical reasoning shows substantial development across childhood and adolescence alongside systems involved in cognitive control.[3]
Why this can matter for your child
Your child practises transferring a useful idea instead of waiting for an identical-looking question to tell them what method to use.
This is a core step from “I have seen this exact question” to “I can recognise what this new question has in common with something I understand.”
Questions this helps answer
- analogical reasoning children
- relational reasoning learning
- how children transfer knowledge
- analogy problem solving
References
- Annie Brookman-Byrne et al. (2019). The unique contributions of verbal analogical reasoning and nonverbal matrix reasoning to science and maths problem-solving in adolescence. Mind, Brain, and Education.
- Ji Y. Son, Linda B. Smith & Robert L. Goldstone (2011). Connecting instances to promote children's relational reasoning. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology.
- Kirstie J. Whitaker et al. (2017). Neuroscientific insights into the development of analogical reasoning. Developmental Science.