EDT: 8100 How People Learn Online Tutorial

Week 3

SMART Learning Objectives

After completing this workshop, you should be able to...

Describe two analytic systems.
List at least four cognitive biases.
Name at least two ways to overcome illusions of knowing/mastery.
Explain the advantages of dynamic testing.

content summaries

Chapter 5: Avoid Illusions of Knowing

In this chapter, the authors discuss perpetual illusions, cognitive biases, and distortions of memory that commonly mislead people. Then, they suggest techniques for keeping your judgment squared with reality.

Referencing the book Thinking, Fast and Slow, the authors explain Daniel Kahneman's comparison of two analytical systems. the first system is quick, intuitive and functions naturally, however, it is prone to illusions and the second system is controlled and slower but makes better decisions. (Brown et al., 2014) The second system utilized the first when a judgment requires action. For example, when a running back is dodging tackles in his dash for the end zone, he is using the first system and when he walks through the moves in his playbook, he is using the second. (Brown et al., 2014)

To be competent or achieve an expert level, we must be able to recognize competencies in others, be aware of what we know and don't understand, adopt learning strategies that show results, and be able to record our results (Brown et al., 2014).

Sadly, judgment on what we think we know and don't understand are often imperfect (Brown et al., 2014). Our minds tend to make up stories when we are uncertain about the new material. We feel a need to close gaps and explain our surroundings. The authors discuss several cognitive biases including; inference from other events; curse of knowledge, our tendency to underestimate how long it will take another person to learn something new or perform a task that we have already mastered; fluency illusions resulting from our tendency to mistake fluency with a text for mastery of its content; social influence, where our memories tend to align with the people around us and accounts that sound familiar can be mistaken for a feeling of knowing (Brown et al., 2014). And lastly, the authors state imagination inflation refers to the tendency of people who, when asked to imagine an event vividly, will sometimes begin to believe when asked about it later, that the incident occurred. Or, someone may suggest that a person attended the event, and may recall that person participated in the event at a later time. (Brown et al., 2014).

We all undergo illusions of mastery in overestimating our knowledge, skills, and abilities. Short-term results (massed practice) often influence our study habits and cause us to be unaware of forgotten material (Brown et al., 2014). The authors recommend frequent use of testing and retrieval practice to verify what you do know versus what you think you do; calibrating your learning and judgment using quizzing and pay attention to cues you're using to judge what you have learned (Brown et al., 2014).

Chapter 6: Get Beyond Learning Styles

The authors show that teaching based on different types of learning styles from visual, auditory, reading and kinesthetic to the environment, emotions and perceptions are not the best way for people to learn. Empirical research shows that intelligence is broad and building learning structures such as identifying rules to problems, categorizing problems, organizing mental models, and relating them to your own experiences will better able you to learn and master the new material.

According to (Brown et al., 2014), Sternberg's concept of developing expertise holds that with continued experience in a field we are always moving from a lower state of competence to a higher one (Brown et al., 2014). His concept also holds that standardized tests can't accurately rate our potential because what they reveal is limited to a static report of where

we are on the learning continuum at the time the test is given. Using Sternberg's model of intelligence, a move to replacement static testing with dynamic testing is encouraged. Dynamic testing determines the state of one's expertise followed by refocusing learning on areas that need improvement, then following up with testing to gauge the development and to redirect training to keep increasing proficiency. Thus, a test may assess a weakness, but rather than assuming that the gap indicates a fixed inability, you interpret it as a lack of skill or knowledge that is correctable (Brown et al., 2014).

Measuring expertise on a particular topic using standardized tests is a static measure and does not foretell how well a person might be able to succeed. Robert Steinberg’s concept of “successful intelligence” establishes that success is not reliant on IQ. It’s about improving in three areas: analytical, creative and practical intelligence. And, the leading way to do this is by using dynamic testing not standardized testing. Dynamic testing reveals weaknesses, allows for practice, and retesting shows improvement (Brown et al., 2104). The authors consider two advantages to dynamic testing. First, it focuses the learner and teacher on measures that need to improve and gives a more accurate scale of his or her learning potential (Brown et al., 2014).

Video: Jeffrey Karpicke: Student Assessment Part 1

In the video, Dr. Jeffrey Karpicke (2013) lectures on the meaning of learning and the role of assessment in education. He explains the process of learning as putting knowledge in our head (encoding), then retrieving knowledge (retrieval) when we need it. Secondly, he looks at integrating learning with education. Dr. Karpicke’s research includes several testing methods to find the best process for learning. He finds that assessment has a direct effect on learning. In one research project focused on student’s studying and learning methods, he observed 3 groups of students allotting the same amount of study time. Group 1 read and reread a total of four times from the textbook, Group 2 read three times and recalled once, Group 3 read once and recalled three times. Group 3 produced the most learning. When all three groups were ask which would produce the best learning, all three groups of students believed that reading four times would produce the best results. Dr. Karpicke concludes by suggesting techniques such as mapping, practice assessments and watching for cues to improve performance.

Connections to Workforce Training

With the arising difficulty of keeping the youth motivated and engaged in the business world, there are many workforce development programs focused on finding ways to encouraging participation. Many businesses use the job skills assessment test, WorkKeys® as a measurement of an employee's or job seeker's skills and competencies to do the job. Many employers do not use the concept of successful intelligence or dynamic testing in their hiring and training practices. By using dynamic testing, employers would create more participation and engage employees in learning which would in turn encourage retention.

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, gamification is adding games or game-like elements to encourage participation. Adding gamification to corporate training is a creative solution to help change behaviors while incorporating all the "intelligences" to help the employee master the knowledge and skills. Corporate training "games" can be developed incorporating low-stake quizzing and testing to allow employees to judge their progress and allow them to focus on the behaviors or knowledge that still needs to be improved. Corporate training "games" allow the employee to use their intuition, memory and cognition, as well as, allowing them to check for biases. Furthermore, using gaming can encourage employees to reach goals and develop themselves personally and professionally which leads to advancement in their careers.

Suggestions for Implementation

Lady with computer and arrows pointing in many directions.

In order to motivate the employees to engage in your training, it is important to design your modules so that the training will provide the information in a way that the employees avoid illusions of knowing and allow them to master the knowledge.

The following are some suggestions:

Structure material in a way that allows the employee to apply "rule learning" or "example learning" principles.
To help the employees overcome mastery illusions, create modules that can be spaced out and varied to allow for some forgetting to happen. For example, provide ongoing e-learning, live and virtual workshops.
Use the employee's tendency for imagination inflation and create training modules that correct behaviors.
Create modules that interleave and go back over previous material to avoid the employees' minds from creating stories due their uncertainty of the material learned.
Create concrete checkpoints to help the employees use cues to check their progress.
Develop quizzes and incorporate mentor feedback opportunities in your training modules.
Instead of test or static assessments, use dynamic testing in your training modules.
Provide a mentor or coaching opportunity that follows your training.

Formative Assessment

What are the two analytic systems? (LO #1)
What are four cognitive bias. (LO #2)
What are two ways to overcome illusions of knowing/mastery? (LO #3)
What are the advantages of dynamic testing? (LO #4)

REFERENCES

Brown, P. C., Roediger, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make it stick: The science of successful learning. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

ffmspt. (2013, May 15). Conference “Student assessment” (part 1). [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CioabgMyFlA

Formative Assessment Answers

What are the two analytic systems? (LO #1)
1. System 1 (or the automatic system) is unconscious, intuitive, and immediate. It draws on our senses and memories to size up a situation in the blink of an eye. It's a running back dodging tackles in his dash for the end zone. (Brown, P. C. Roediger III, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A., 2014) p. 104-105 Kindle version
2. System 2 (the controlled system) is our slower process of conscious analysis and reasoning. It's the part of thinking that considers choices, makes decisions, and exerts self-control. We also use it to train System 1 to recognize and respond to particular situation that demand reflexive action. The running back is using System 2 when he walks through the moves in his playbook. (Brown, P. C. Roediger III, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A., 2014) p. 104-105 Kindle version
What are four cognitive bias. (LO #2)
1. Imagination inflation is refers to the tendency of people who, when asked to imagine an event vividly will sometimes begin to believe when asked about it later, that the event actually occurred. (Brown, P. C. Roediger III, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A., 2014) p. 112 Kindle version. An example would be to imagine that you are at a rock concert, but have never been to one. If asked later in life if you have ever been to a concert, you believe that you had been.
2. Suggestion may happen simply by the way a question is asked. An example is asking witnesses of a car accident how fast the cars were going when they "smashed" into each other or "contacted" each other. Answers to the question "smashed" produced an answer of a faster speed. (Brown, P. C. Roediger III, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A., 2014) p. 113 Kindle version.
3. Inference from other events. An example would be if a person saw a picture of a suspect, they might later identify that person in a lineup as being present at the crime. (Brown, P. C. Roediger III, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A., 2014) p. 114 Kindle version.
4. Feeling of knowing is when accounts that sound familiar create a feeling of knowing and can be mistaken for true. An example would be seeing a skit on Saturday Night Live and later believing it was real. (Brown, P. C. Roediger III, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A., 2014) p. 115 Kindle version.
5. Fluency illusions result from our tendency to mistake fluency with a text for mastery of its content. For example, if you read a particularly lucid presentation of a difficult concept, you can get the idea that it is actually pretty simple and perhaps even that you knew it all along. (Brown, P. C. Roediger III, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A., 2014) p. 116 Kindle version.
6. Social influence tends to align with the memories of the people around us. For example, if you are in a group reminiscing about past experiences and someone adds a wrong detail about the story, you will tend to incorporate this detail into your own memory and later remember the experience with the erroneous detail. (Brown, P. C. Roediger III, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A., 2014) p. 116 Kindle version.
What are two ways to overcome illusions of knowing/mastery? (LO #3)
1. Calibrating your learning and judgment. For example, quizzing or working along side an expert. (Brown, P. C. Roediger III, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A., 2014) p. 126 Kindle version.
2. Pay attention to cues you're using to judge what you have learned. Whether something feels familiar or fluent is not always a reliable indicator of learning. (Brown, P. C. Roediger III, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A., 2014) p. 125 Kindle version.
What are the advantages of dynamic testing? (LO #4)
1. There are two advantages to dynamic testing. It focuses the learner and teacher on areas that need to be brought up rather than on areas of accomplishments, and the ability to measure a learner's progress from one test to the next provides a truer gauge of his or her learning potential. (Brown, P. C. Roediger III, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A., 2014) p. 150 Kindle version.

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