Experts make more inferences while non-experts views problems more literally. Experts classify teaching problems based on deeper structures rather than surface structures. Experts are quicker to recognize and identify patterns. Experts can represent problems and solve them using more sophisticated strategies. For example, experts will spend more time examining a problem, building a mental model, and mentally working through the initial stages of strategy planning than will a novice.
Experts are more opportunistic planners.
In the classroom, this translates into a better learning environment for the students with an expert whose instructional strategies are said to fail 1 out of every 5 tries. The value of this type of research is in its potential as a tool to promote growth in non-experts. If we can prepare a mental model of how experts perform then we could present this model to novices and train them to act more expert-like. Back to Annotated Bibliographies .