Neural knowledge assembly in humans and deep networks

Human understanding of the world can change rapidly when new information comes to light, such as when a plot twist occurs in a work of fiction. This flexible knowledge assembly requires few-shot reorganisation of neural codes for relations among objects and events. However, existing computational theories are largely silent about how this could occur. Here, participants learned a transitive ordering among novel objects within two distinct contexts, before exposure to new knowledge revealing how the contexts were linked. BOLD signals in dorsal frontoparietal cortical areas revealed that objects were rapidly and dramatically rearranged on the neural manifold after minimal exposure to the linking information. We then adapt stochastic online gradient descent to permit similar rapid knowledge assembly in a neural network model.

Overcoming Knowledge Barriers for Inclusion of School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists in the Management of Students with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

School-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can play an important role in the recovery of children who have sustained a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Two types of knowledge barriers are described here that impact the beliefs and ability of SLPs to respond to the needs of these students. Foundational knowledge is relatively stable over time, and encompasses basic definitions and understanding of the injury. In contrast, flexible knowledge addresses clinical management, including assessment and treatment, and should be regularly updated to align with current best practice recommendations. Clinicians are sensitive to this difference, seeking clinically applicable continuing education. However, general poor understanding of pediatric mTBI paired with rapidly advancing research in the field has led to widespread inaccuracies in both foundational and flexible knowledge. Suggestions are provided for educational initiatives and for advocacy of the role of SLPs in the care of students with mTBI.

Strategies to Improve Learning and Retention During Training

Training is one of the most critical operations of every organization, particularly training of personnel who protect or save lives. Although training is meant to last in all settings, in these high-stakes settings the people who are trained must retain their knowledge and skills and be able to apply those skills across novel situations. Yet training often misses these crucial targets. Here we review evidence from cognitive psychology for durable, flexible learning produced by three principles of training: retrieval practice, distributed practice, and interleaved practice. The authors recommend (with evidence and suggestions) these three key principles as critical tools for training in operational settings, with a focus on military training. These scientifically backed techniques apply broadly across many educational and training settings and, when used appropriately, lead to durable and flexible knowledge and skills.

COMPARATIVE TEACHING EXAMPLE RELATED TO COURSE ACTIVITIES DEVELOPING TRANSFER SKILL IN PROBLEM SOLVING IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAMS IN SOUTHEAST ANATOLIA REGION

As of 2004-2005 school year, principles of constructivism have been adopted to a great extent in the education system of Turkey. In the present study, the lessons were video recorded in order to observe the activities to develop the transfer skills used in problem solving by the students attending 4th and 5th grades of elementary schools in Tarsus province of Icel in Southeast Anatolian Region. Moreover, lessons were also video recorded in order to observe the problem solving behaviors of the 6th grade Turkish students attending Turkish language lessons given by a Turkish teacher in Linden province of Hannover in Germany. The lessons given in Linden and Tarsus were compared in terms of “environment and process” through tables. It was concluded that the environmental conditions existing in the elementary school in Southeast Anatolian Region are not suitable for constructivist applications and here, it was observed that direct instruction model was continuously in use. On the other hand, at the school in the Linden region, while transfer skills necessary for real life are being developed, “asking question and discussion” behaviors are also gained. Key words: inert / flexible knowledge; direct instruction model; invention; self-explaining.