Alright kiddo, so Ference Marton was a very smart man who studied how people learn things. He was interested in how we can understand things better, especially when it comes to difficult ideas like math or science.
One thing he discovered was that our brains like to classify things into groups or categories. For example, dogs are a group of animals with fur, wagging tails, and they bark. Cats are a different group of animals with short fur, they purr, and they meow.
To help us understand things better, Marton found that we need to know what these categories are and how things fit into them. He called this "the theory of variation." It's like sorting your toys by color or size; it helps you make sense of them and remember where they are.
So when you're learning something new, like addition or photosynthesis, it's important to know what category it fits into and what the rules are for that category. That way, you can see how it works and remember it better.
Pretty cool, huh? Marton's ideas have helped lots of people learn better and faster.