Toku science topic

Relational reasoning and transfer

How children learn to see the structure beneath a problem and carry an idea into a new context.

Explore analogies, comparison, relational reasoning and transfer: the difference between reproducing a familiar answer and recognising when an old idea fits a new problem.

Start with the thinking mechanisms

Analogical and relational reasoningSeeing the relationship underneath one example and using that structure to understand a different-looking problem.Flexible retrieval and transferBeing able to access learned knowledge when the wording, context or surrounding problem changes.Interleaving and mixed practiceMixing related problem types so the learner has to identify which method is appropriate instead of repeating one procedure in a block.

Questions parents ask

How does analogical reasoning help children learn?Analogy helps children recognise that a new problem has the same underlying relationship as something they already understand.How do children learn to transfer knowledge to new problems?Transfer becomes more likely when children understand relationships, compare examples, retrieve knowledge in varied forms and practise deciding when an idea applies.Why mix maths question types?Because exams and real problem solving rarely announce which procedure should be used. Mixed practice can train the decision about what kind of problem this is.

Research used in this topic

experiment2019

The unique contributions of verbal analogical reasoning and nonverbal matrix reasoning to science and maths problem-solving in adolescence

Annie Brookman-Byrne et al. · Mind, Brain, and Education

Seeing relationships and using analogy are part of the cognitive toolkit children draw on when solving unfamiliar science and mathematics problems.

What the research found

Analogical and matrix reasoning made distinct contributions to science and mathematics problem-solving performance in the studied adolescents.

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experiment2011

Connecting instances to promote children's relational reasoning

Ji Y. Son, Linda B. Smith & Robert L. Goldstone · Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

Children can become better at seeing the structure shared by different-looking examples when learning deliberately draws those relationships together.

What the research found

Comparing and connecting multiple examples helped children focus on relational structure rather than only surface features.

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experiment2015

Interleaved practice improves mathematics learning

Doug Rohrer, Robert F. Dedrick & Sandra Stershic · Journal of Educational Psychology

Mixed review may help children practise recognising what kind of problem they are looking at, not only carrying out a familiar procedure.

What the research found

Classroom mathematics practice that interleaved different problem types produced better delayed test performance in the reported study.

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longitudinal2017

Fluid reasoning predicts future mathematical performance among children and adolescents

Caroline T. Green et al. · Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

The capacity to reason through new patterns and relationships is relevant to later mathematical development, not only stored factual knowledge.

What the research found

Fluid reasoning predicted future mathematical performance above several other cognitive measures in the longitudinal study.

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