u08d1 The Development of Expertise

In the study section of this unit, you were asked to identify expert and novice teachers'
representations of a fifth-grade social studies text on the Civil War. What problem solving
strategies were used by the novice and expert teachers? How would you compare the novice and
expert teachers in this example?

Review the samples in this unit's studies and answer the discussion question by (1) referring to
and integrating ideas presented in the text and any supplemental readings; (2) citing outside
resources if necessary to make your point; and (3) following APA style guidelines for citations
and references.

You will be evaluated on how well you can demonstrate that you understand the ideas presented
throughout the unit, including assigned readings, discussions, and independent investigations.
You will also be evaluated on the quality of your work its academic rigor, how well it shows
your ability to think critically, and how completely it covers the questions asked.

Response Guidelines

Respond to at least one other learner in a manner that advances the discussion in a meaningful
way. Your response is expected to be substantive in nature and reference the assigned readings,
as well as other theoretical, empirical or professional literature to support your views and
writings. Reference your sources using standard APA guidelines.

What is immediately apparent from a cursory and comparative examination of the novice and
expert knowledge representations of the civil war text is the fact that the novice teachers
diagram consists of much more detailed information. Might this indicate that novice teachers
invested considerably more time in organizing information for problem solving? According to
Sternberg & Sternberg, (2012) actually experts spend more time on mental representations and
global planning in problem solving than do novices. However, experts tend to make up for this
expenditure by investing less time than novices in devising and implementing problem solving
strategies based upon details of the problem (Sternberg & Sternberg, 2012).

This suggests that experts tend to approach problem solving by using a more generalized
heuristic analysis based upon a reliance of highly interconnected units of knowledge called
schemas. Schemas are developed over time for solving problems within long term memory as
chunks of similar information units which allows for superior memory and retrieval capacity.
Therefore, experts demonstrate a superior organizational framework for encoding and retrieving
information than novices (Valentin et al. as cited in Sternberg & Sternberg, 2012).

The cognitive neurological architecture consists of modules (perceptual, goal, declarative, etc)
designed to process various types of information in serial and parallel processing modes. Central
processing of information and resultant coordinated action within this model is made available
through a series of buffers. In both declarative and procedural activations, each subsystem
detects units of knowledge called chunks in buffers to produce coherent and consistent cognition
through an unlimited set of activated neural antecedents. The subsymbolic learning and
performance mechanisms of both declarative and procedural systems in experts produce unique
and appropriate contextual responses to problem solving (Anderson et al., 2004). Therefore,
experts tend to spend more time approaching problem solving by attempting to match the given
information of the problem with inherent schemas stored within long term memory.

Nairne (2002) suggests that the retention and retrieval of this process of schematization is tied to
the repeated activation level of neural activity thus subjugating the degradation process of
information as a function of time. Neural activation of information is considered a fragile
process which can be lost in the absence of rehearsal or practice. According to Sternberg &
Sternberg (2012), the role of practice or rehearsal accounts for much of the predictability of
expertise in a given domain of knowledge. Rehearsal or practice tends to: 1) greatly enhance
attentional processes in problem solving, and 2) counteract the informational decay process to
refresh and build activation strength of interconnected neural networks much like a juggler who
continues to apply force (e.g. attention) to defy gravity (e.g. degradation of information) by
continually tossing balls in the air.

By way of contrast, although the flow chart diagram of the novice teachers shows greater
detailed information, the information appears to be based upon smaller, disconnected knowledge
units. These units of knowledge at various levels in the novice flow chart show limited
similarities to one another. This essentially highlights two salient advantages of expert cognition
over novices: 1) the amount of knowledge resident in the long term memory of experts compared
to novices, and 2) the correlations of stored knowledge.

Anthony Rhodes
General Psychology PhD.

References

Anderson, J. R., Bothell, D., Byrne, M. D., Douglass, S., Lebiere, C., & Qin, Y. (2004). An
Integrated Theory of the Mind. Psychological Review, 111(4), 1036-1060. doi:10.1037/0033-
295X.111.4.1036

Nairne J. (2002). Remembering the short term: The Case Against the Standard Model. Annual
Review Of Psychology [serial online]. February;53(1):53. Available from: Academic Search
Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed May 12, 2012.

Sternberg, R. J., & Sternberg, K. (2012). Cognitive psychology (6th ed.). Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth Cengage Learning. ISBN 9781133313915