1ď¸âŁ Assign learning challenges
Providing learners with tasksâeven when the challenge feels significantâis key to their growth.
A concrete example: HĂŠlène, newly promoted, faces her first negotiation. As a manager, itâs natural to hesitate before assigning such a task. However, from a learning perspective, itâs crucial to let her tackle this challenge. She might make mistakes, but confronting this âdesirable difficultyâ is precisely what will help her develop her skills.
Why does this work? Relevant and manageable challenges push learners out of their comfort zone while reinforcing their knowledge.
2ď¸âŁ Embrace mistakes
Mistakes are at the heart of learning. Avoiding them entirely can render a teaching approach ineffective.
An illustrative example: JoĂŤl, a well-meaning father, adopts a âzero-errorâ teaching method by only asking questions about freshly covered material. When his daughter answers correctly, she receives positive feedback. However, this approach avoids any exposure to novel or uncertain situations.
The drawbacks of error-free teaching:
In real-life scenarios, learners will encounter complex situations where mistakes are inevitable.
Without learning how to handle failure, they may lack the resilience needed to recover and grow.
Solution: Incorporate moments of challenge where learners can make mistakes, analyse them, and learn how to correct them.
3ď¸âŁ Stimulate memory and effort
Offer exercises that engage memory and match the difficulty level appropriately.
Memory retrieval: Use activities that prompt learners to recall what theyâve learned. This strengthens the consolidation of mental pathways.
Alternate topics: Rotate the subjects being studied at a manageable pace to provide balanced challenges without causing cognitive overload.
4ď¸âŁ Balance effort with enjoyment
Learning can be demanding yet enjoyable. Draw inspiration from the concept of flow, popularised by Jenova Chen in video game design.
Offer challenges that are:
Not too hard to avoid frustration.
Not too easy to prevent boredom.
Video game example:
Some games adjust difficulty in real time to keep players engaged. Apply a similar strategy to your exercises.
5ď¸âŁ Fine-tune difficulty levels
Base adjustments on concrete data. Collect information about your learnersâ starting point before modifying the difficulty. If thatâs not feasible, allow learners to adjust difficulty levels themselves by choosing their exercises.
Example: An initial placement test can identify areas that need more focus or review. This enables a personalised learning experience.
đ Best practices summary
Assign meaningful learning challenges to expose learners to significant growth opportunities.
Donât fear mistakesâthey are essential for progress.
Stimulate memory through exercises that encourage recall and active learning.
Balance effort with enjoyment by tailoring difficulty to sustain engagement.
Adjust difficulty based on real needs or allow learners to self-regulate.
Keywords: learner progress, pedagogical recommendations
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