About us
Science Blog was started in August 2002. It lives, breathes and eats press releases from research organizations around the globe. Most of what you read here are press releases from the outfits named in the stories themselves. Got a news story you think belongs here?
Let's talk.
The other half of the equation is
blog posts from readers like you. So if you have an interest in science,
please register and join others like you in an ongoing, vibrant dialog about what makes the world tick. Meantime, please take a minute to read our
Privacy Policy and Site Disclaimer.
This is an intriguing article, and somewhat difficult to fully digest. Why? In part, it does not differentiate between students that are not especially challenged with learning new information, and retaining previous knowledge, and the "strategies" they employ, or mindsets they harbor to facilitate learning, compared to students that struggle to learn new information and retain previous knowledge. Moreover, the type of knowledge that inhibits new learning, or the retention of previous knowledge is not well established. For example, if I "read" the book and learn the elements of a first course in algebra, certainty that effort would greatly facilitate my ability to learn the elements of a second course in algebra, and retain my previous knowledge. Therefore previous knowledge, in this example, does not inhibit new learning, or the loss of prior knowledge, quite the contrary. As such, specific types of knowledge and information, and how they can potentially effect the retention of previous knowledge, and the learning of new knowledge must play in this discussion, if we hope to clarify the questions herein. More to the point, laboratory studies do not, cannot duplicate actual learning. The process of learning new material in the privacy of a dorm, library, etc., over a period of hours and days is materially different from efforts to learn similar material in a laboratory setting. I am persuaded that the laboratory studies are crucial, yet they must be compared, contrasted, and weighed against actual learning practices. Further, a clear distinction between related; foundational knowledge and information, and how that facilitates learning, and retention of previous knowledge and information, and the type of knowledge and information; that retards the retention and acquisition of new knowledge and information, must be clarified.