Rapid Learning in a Children's Museum via Analogical Comparison |
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| Authors: | Dedre Gentner Susan C Levine Raedy Ping Ashley Isaia Sonica Dhillon Claire Bradley Garrett Honke |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of PsychologyNorthwestern University;2. Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chicago;3. Department of PsychologyLoyola University;4. Department of PsychologyUniversity of Illinois at Chicago;5. American Institutes for Research;6. Children's Museum of Manhattan;7. SUNY‐Binghamton |
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| Abstract: | We tested whether analogical training could help children learn a key principle of elementary engineering—namely, the use of a diagonal brace to stabilize a structure. The context for this learning was a construction activity at the Chicago Children's Museum, in which children and their families build a model skyscraper together. The results indicate that even a single brief analogical comparison can confer insight. The results also reveal conditions that support analogical learning. |
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| Keywords: | Analogical learning STEM learning in museums Spatial learning |
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