Near and far transfer: apply a method to increasingly different problems
Learn one, transfer many falls apart when the “three” look identical to the “one.” Start with near twins (same method, new surface), then stretch. Jumping straight into a full mock usually mixes method gaps with clock panic.
Learn one, transfer many sounds tidy: one example, three successes. Transfer has distance, though. Psychologists call the short hop near transfer — same method, new numbers — and the long hop far transfer — new context, same deep structure. Skip the near hop and the classical ideal turns into a bad evening.
Stage the three corners
- Worked twin first. Same skill family, different surface. Study the steps; do not paste them into the sit item.
- Isomorphic sit next — your pack item. Close the twin, then produce cold.
- Slight stretch the day after: same rung with new values, or the Next skill on the ladder once fluency is clean.
Only after a few near wins should you book a timed mock in Practice Hub. That is far transfer under clock pressure.
Why one hard paper is a poor daily vehicle
A full selective or IB paper mixes many methods. Useful for ranking and stamina. Poor for daily transfer, because each miss blends method gaps with time pressure. Daily packs keep one skill in view so the “three” you return are actually comparable.
A quick check tonight
Redo a twin with new numbers in under two minutes? Near transfer is working — advance, or stay for fluency. Only succeed with the exact numbers from the example? You copied the corner. Twins go fine but mixed mocks fail? You need more near reps before the far hop — not another chat explanation.
Daily Practice Packs hold you on a rung for near transfer. The Example tool invents corner 1 on demand. Mocks ask whether the method survived the far hop.