VOLUME 18
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ISSUE 2
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OCTOBER 2019
THE TOOLBOX
A Teaching and Learning Resource for Instructors
HARNESSING THE POWER OF SELF-EXPLANATION FOR DEEPER LEARNING F
requently, faculty rely on methods that have long been part of the instructional process including lectures, assigned readings, video content, online discussions, and other web-based resources. The challenge is that faculty are generally unsure of the level at which these techniques, individually and collectively, contribute to the process of learning. Willingham (2012) argued that we can do better than simply guessing and should rely more heavily on science by using evidence-based methods that promote learning.
Brad Garner Director of Faculty Enrichment, National & Global Campus Indiana Wesleyan University brad.garner@indwes.edu Christopher Devers Assistant Professor, School of Education Johns Hopkins University
One well-documented, evidence-based strategy that helps solidify and organize students’ thinking about course content is self-explanation, defined by Roy and Chi (2005) as: … a domain general constructive activity that engages students in active learning and insures that learners attended to the material in a meaningful way while effectively monitoring their evolving understanding. (p. 272)
Chi, Leeuw, Chiu, and Lavancher (1994) argue that one of the unique features of engaging in self-explanation is the necessity for the learner to integrate new information with existing knowledge. Chi (2000) suggested that this process provides a pathway for learners to “repair” existing mental models by resolving informational gaps, areas of needed revisions, or the presence of conflicts. These types of selfcorrections are often difficult in situations where learners are simply listening or watching the presentation of new material. As such, self-explanation often increases learning across a number of conditions.
If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.
— Albert Einstein
Self-explanation, as a strategy for learning or assessment, can be traced back to psychologist and learning theory pioneer Robert Gagne (Gagne & Smith, 1962). Subsequent studies have investigated the ways that self-explanation can be integrated into the process of teaching, learning, and assessment (Chi, Bassok, Lewis, Reimann, & Glaser, 1989; Chi et al., 1994); as a study skill (Rittle-Johnson & Loehr, 2017) or National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience® and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina
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method for processing complex material (Fiorella, Stull, Kuhlmann, & Mayer, 2019); and within online learning environments (Biswas et al., 2005). Bistra, Liu, Nesbit, Salimi, and Winne (2018) conducted a meta-analysis of self-explanation that examined 64 research studies, concluding that self-explanation can be “…a potentially powerful intervention across a range of instructional conditions” (p. 703).
Strategies for Self-Explanation Faculty can effectively integrate self-explanation into their courses in the following ways: »» “Flipgrid” Video Discussion Tool — This free online tool (https://info. flipgrid.com/) provides a powerful means for faculty to create discussion grids where students can provide videotaped self-explanations ranging from 90 seconds to five minutes in length on designated topics. Additionally, classmates can then respond to these videos and provide feedback (e.g., affirmations, questions, corrections) on the presented information. »» Expert Interview — In this activity, students are presented with new instructional content through a lecture, video, or demonstration. They are instructed to find a partner. One student is designated as Partner 1 and the other is designated as Partner 2. Partner 1 assumes the role of a television newscaster, asking Partner 2 to explain the newly learned material. After the explanation is given, Partner 1 provides feedback on the explanation. »» Speed Dating — In this scenario, the classroom is arranged so that desks or chairs face each other in two long rows. For each pair, a deck of file cards containing topics and principles related to course content is on one seat. Student 1 draws a topic and explains the major components of the topic to Student 2 for 60 seconds. Student 2 provides feedback on the explanation. After two minutes, all of the students designated as Student 1 shift one seat to the right (and, therefore, a new partner). A new topic is drawn, and this time, Student 2 offers the explanation while Student 1 provides feedback (Torok & Garner, 2009). »» Online Explanations — Students are asked to watch a short video that introduces new course-related content.They are then asked to provide a written summary of the content on a discussion forum located in the learning management system without reviewing the responses of other students prior to posting. Students then give one another feedback on the accuracy and quality of posted explanations. Designing and implementing self-explanation opportunities for students can be used either as a learning experience or a formative assessment. By including the following conditions in self-explanations, faculty can ensure maximum effectiveness: »» Delivery of new content through a variety of modes, such as journal articles, classroom presentations, and videos; »» An environment for students to share a self-explanation for that content through video or face-to-face interactions; and »» A process for fellow students or faculty to observe and provide feedback on these self-explanations. Invite your students to explain what they are learning! National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience® and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina
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ISSUE 2
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OCTOBER 2019
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REFERENCES Bistra, K., Liu, Q., Nesbit, J. C., Salimi, F., & Winne, P. H. (2018). Inducing self-explanation: A metaanalysis. Educational Psychology Review, 30, 703-725. doi: 10.1007/s10648-018-9434-x Biswas, G., Leelawong, K., Schwartz, D., Vye, N., & Teachable Agents Group at Vanderbilt (2005). Learning by teaching: A new agent paradigm for educational software. Applied Artificial Intelligence, 19, 363– 392. Chi, M. T. H. (2000). Self-explaining expository texts: The dual process of generating inferences requiring mental models. In R. Glaser (Ed.), Advances in instructional psychology (pp. 161-238). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Chi, M. T. H., Bassok, M., Lewis, M. W., Reimann, P., & Glaser, R. (1989). Self-explanations: How students study and use examples in learning to solve problems. Cognitive Science, 13(2), 145182. Chi, M. T. H., Leeuw, N., Chiu, M. H., & Lavancher, C. (1994). Eliciting self-explanations improves understanding. Cognitive Science, 18(3), 439-477. Fiorella, L., Stull, A. T., Kuhlmann, S., & Mayer, R. E. (2019). Fostering generative learning from video lessons: Benefits of instructor-generated drawings and learner-generated explanations. Journal of Educational Psychology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1037/edu0000408 Gagne, R. M. & Smith, E. C. (1962). A study of the effects of verbalization on problem solving. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 63(1), 12-18. Rittle-Johnson, B., & Loehr, A. (2017). Eliciting explanations: constraints on when self- explanation aids learning. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 24(5), 1501–1510 Roy, M., & Chi, M. T. H. (2005). The self-explanation principle in multimedia learning. In R. E. Mayer (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning (pp. 271-286). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Torok, C. F., & Garner, B., (2009). A brief guide to teaching adult learners. Marion, IN: Triangle Publishing. Willingham, D. T. (2012, September 1). How science can improve teaching. Scientific American. Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/
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ISSUE 2
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OCTOBER 2019
Submission Guidelines for The Toolbox For complete guidelines and issue dates, see www.sc.edu/fye/toolbox/ Audience: Toolbox readers include full-time and adjunct faculty; academic advisors; and administrators focused on faculty development, teaching and learning, academic success, and the first college year. Style: Articles, tables, figures, and references should adhere to APA (American Psychological Association) style. Length: Original articles should be no longer than 1,500 words. The editor reserves the right to edit submissions for length. Submit your article online by using our submission form. Please address all questions to: Brad Garner, Toolbox Editor Indiana Wesleyan University 1900 West 50th Street Marion, IN 46953 Email: brad.garner@indwes.edu Phone: 765-677-3341
About The Toolbox The Toolbox is an online professional development newsletter offering innovative, learner-centered strategies for empowering college students to achieve greater success. The newsletter is published six times a year by the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition at the University of South Carolina. The online subscription is free. To register for newsletter alerts and access back issues, please visit www.sc.edu/fye/toolbox.
Publication Staff Founding Editor: Brad Garner Editor: Kevin F. Langston Graphic Designer: Stephanie L. McFerrin Assistant Director for Publications: Tracy L. Skipper
National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience® and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina
www.sc.edu/fye/toolbox
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