ABSTRACT
Most humans, both young and old, are capable of remarkable feats of learning in their everyday lives, and yet, all too often, the news from classrooms in the United States is about perennial difficulty and persistent failure for large numbers of students in achieving the learning goals set out in local, state, and national standards. Although the causes and potential cures are many and varied, in this chapter we consider an approach that addresses dimensions of learning that have been studied for decades in the learning sciences but have received little to no attention in K−12 classrooms. Specifically, we examine perceptual learning as a form of learning that contributes to the insight and fluency that characterize expertise across many settings and domains. We introduce what perceptual learning (PL) is, findings about PL that have emerged from several different lines of research, and how PL might be brought into K−12 classrooms as a significant complement to other forms of instruction. Two empirical studies of PL interventions using specially designed learning software, known as Perceptual Learning Modules (PLMs), illustrate some of its key characteristics and effects on students' learning in mathematics.
