Learning With Analogies, Cases, and Computers

Two important educational goals are helping students master new concepts, principles, and skills, and helping them become effective thinkers and learners on their own. The books to be reviewed here are relevant to both of these goals. Mental Leaps, by Keith Holyoak and Paul Thagard offers a number of implications for educators in the discussion of the cognitive functions of analogy. The second book, Engines for Education by Roger Schank and Chip Cleary, is more directly aimed at educators in its proposals about effective uses of educational software. After summarizing the two books, I will consider their implications and value for educators attempting to facilitate conceptual change and the development of thinking skills in students.