Finding My Way

When learning new information, it is easier to learn if we can tie that new information in to some already known information.  I think this is why analogies are a popular learning tool.

Today’s learning analogy; travelling from one location to another.

Imagine that you are a passenger in a car, and someone drives you to a restaurant you’ve never been to before.  Later you want to drive yourself to that same restaurant.  While you remember being at the restaurant, what it looked like when you walked in, where you sat, what you ate, you don’t really remember how to get there.  You may remember generally, “it was in the southeast part of town…” or that you drove on a particular part of the highway get there, but you can’t just drive there yourself.  This is because you were not required to engage with the specifics of driving the route.

This is something like what happens when a student watches an instructor demonstration of a skill.  They’ve been to the restaurant, but they didn’t have to find that path on their own.  An instructor example is a great first step, but we need to recognize that it doesn’t result in fully learning the skill.  This is true whether the skill is a physical one, or a problem-solving skill, or a decision-making skill.

When a student attempts to drive to the restaurant on their own, they are required to recall the example and try to find the route.  If the student is unfamiliar with the route being travelled, each turn on the way becomes a decision about which of many possible actions is the correct one.  The students may choose a path, take a few steps, then back up to choose another step and take a few steps as they look for a viable route to the restaurant.  When a student appears to be lost, what may actually be happening is they are searching for a workable route that will eventually lead to the restaurant.

We need to not rush to conclusions when we see a student doing the “wrong” thing.  Rushing to that conclusion often results in the instructor intervening to direct the student in the correct next step in the process.  And if the instructor always drives you to the restaurant, then you never learn to drive there yourself.

- Will