3 ms·

The importance of worked examples in helping students understand new topics

• aaplok 2y ago
  The downside of teaching using worked examples is that it teaches only one problem solving skill to students: mimicking. Many students will look only at examples in the textbook and happily ignore definitions, theorems, and proofs. They don't know whether the strategy they picked works, only that it worked on a similar looking problem. Sure, when (good) teachers explain the example they do go through the effort of referring to the definitions and theorems, but that is not necessarily what the students remember.
  • vsuperpower2021 2y ago
    They skip definitions, theorems, and proofs for good reason too. Students are spending a lot of time and money they don't have to get a degree and have an obligation to work efficiently. With a limited amount of time and energy they would actively hurting themselves by focusing on things that aren't graded. In general I've found that teachers grade quite harshly on things you could have memorized, and find little value in understanding or institution.
    • Jensson 2y ago
      Your grades doesn't matter as much as your understanding does, for most people. In some cases your grades will be the deciding factor, but in most cases it is worth more to you to get a better understanding and worse grades.
      • vsuperpower2021 2y ago
        [flagged]