Teaching for Transfer

Book excerpt: In Teaching for Transfer: A Guide for Designing Learning With Real-World Application, author Michael McDowell provides K-12 teachers with a road map for reconfiguring classroom instruction to ensure that students learn to expertly apply their knowledge and skills to different contexts, or to engage in transfer-level work. McDowell outlines the three levels of complexity in learning-(1) surface, (2) deep, and (3) transfer-and explains that while the foundational levels of surface and deep are essential and allow students to understand and relate ideas, transfer is key, as it involves the interdisciplinary problem solving students need to practice to become creative, well-rounded citizens who can meet and overcome unexpected challenges. Offering ample research, concrete strategies, grade-level examples, and end-of-chapter next steps and reflection questions, McDowell demonstrates the importance of transfer-level learning and the means by which readers can support this skill development in their students.