This study examined whether developing earlier forms of knowledge in specific learning environments prepares students better for future learning when they are placed in an unfamiliar learning environment. Forty-one students in the fifth and sixth grades learned to program robot movements using abstract concepts of speed, distance and direction.…

Discussion of how visual analogies aid students' understanding of math and science focuses on new types of representations that use computers. Topics addressed include understanding and cognitive performance; the role of representations in understanding, including examples; evidence of instructional effectiveness of new representations; and…