How we Learn Best is so Unintuitive

Imagine a teacher who asks a maths question to the class, then gently nudges the students towards the correct answer (affirmation when they are on the right track; correcting them when they seem to be going off the path). A variant of the above approach is what David Epstein describes in Range:

“’Lemme show you, there’s a better, easier way.” If the teacher didn’t already turn the work into using procedures practice, well-meaning parents will.”

 

Next imagine a second teacher who lets the students try and solve it on their own. No feedback in real time. Afterwards, she corrects the paper and includes notes on the right approach (if needed).

 

Which way do you think results in better learning? Not just for the duration of the class or course, but in the long run? It’s the let-them-struggle, let-them-fail approach that yields better learning, not just in that course/class, but in long term retention as well!

 

There’s even a term for it, the “hypercorrection effect”:

“The more confident the learner is of their wrong answer, the better the information sticks when they subsequently learn the right answer. Tolerating big mistakes can create the best learning opportunities.”

This extends beyond maths. It has been found to be true for subjects where one needs to think and analyze e.g. finding patterns, solving puzzles etc.

 

Another counter-intuitive point is that one should have gaps. Learn something (the hard way, not with hints), then take a gap, then try it again. This is the method that produces the best learning, both in that semester/year, and beyond.

 

So why isn’t this approach the popular way of teaching then? Well, it’s so counter-intuitive that “it fools the learners themselves”! If the learner can’t see the benefit (only the toil, failure, and frustration and oh yeah, the lack of help from the teacher), how do you think he rates the course or instructor? With that feedback, which kind of instructor would schools and colleges hire? Unfortunately, it turns out:

“The feeling of learning, it turns out, is based on before-your-eyes progress, while deep learning is not.”