Transference Learning
Transference learning is a fancy term for reusing what the student already knows and helping them shift that understanding to something new. Long ago I read an historical account of a World War I flight instructor who revolutionized flight training for the United States. Apparently the U.S. was producing new biplanes at a faster rate than they were training pilots, which left the country without an effective fighting force. Until they discovered one of their own pilots had a knack for training new pilots. When they observed him, he would say things like, “Flying a plane is similar to driving a car. The throttle is like the accelerator; pull it back and you give the plane more gas.” “The yoke is like the steering wheel; turn it and the rudder will move to help you turn the plane.” This transformed the world of flight training at a time when most people had no concept how to fly a plane. Who knew that one of the heroes of World War I was a trainer?
As you can imagine, transference learning can be a most efficient way to convey important information and processes. And think about it, how many times have you found yourself in the position of developing training for a new technology that is similar to a former one? Many times, the product functions in a similar way but merely has different naming conventions or menu locations.
Once during a hectic mega merger, I was charged with creating transitional training courses for technology systems that were being consolidated. The technologies used by the two companies were very similar, but operated in subtly different ways. Software applications (such as document management systems) and hardware, (such as telephones) operated in similar ways but were just different enough to cause confusion. So, I created a series of one-page handouts called “You Say Tomato.” These one-page, one-topic charts displayed, in table format, terminology, menu locations and icons of legacy technology. Next to each item, the equivalent term or icon was noted in the new technology. It worked and it saved us hundreds of hours of training time. There are situations where transference learning benefits everyone, but keep in mind some students will respond positively when you equate their current experience with another, familiar model.