The Master Teacher Blog

Background knowledge plays an outsized role in learning success. In fact, a recent major, peer-reviewed study points to background knowledge as a key factor in determining whether and how learning occurs. The researchers intended to study what accounts for why some students appear to learn faster than others. However, they discovered that rates of learning vary little across most populations. What appears to accelerate the learning of some students is the amount of related background knowledge they possess and their ability to apply it to the learning task before them.  

The study was conducted at Carnegie Mellon University and was released in early 2023. It included more than 7000 youth and adult learners from a variety of backgrounds, learning histories, and geographic areas, as well as 1.3 million observations and 27 datasets. Participants were given a variety of learning tasks in math, science, and language.

Given the role background knowledge plays in learning, our challenge is to do all that we can to ensure that our students possess what they need to learn successfully. We also need to help students activate the background knowledge they already possess. If students haven’t recently engaged with their relevant existing background knowledge, it may not be immediately available to assist their learning efforts. Further, we must help students make connections between their background knowledge and the learning with which they are about to engage.

Admittedly, students come to our classrooms with varying amounts of background knowledge. For many students, their family background (including a history of formal education), levels of parental and familial engagement, and even economic and cultural factors, can influence the academic background knowledge they possess. Yet, there are a variety of steps we can take and activities in which we can engage students to assess and build background knowledge before we begin planned instruction. Here are five initial activities upon which we can build:

• Pre-assessment activities. We might have exploratory conversations with students about what they already know, or we might ask them to respond to a series of prompts in order to uncover their current knowledge, understanding, and areas of misconception.
• Storytelling. We can share engaging stories with students to fill in information gaps, help them see relevance in what they are going to learn, and spark interest in the topic.
• Virtual field trips. We can employ videos and other media to help students to understand elements (such as historical events or figures), build context, and experience authentic applications.
• Graphic organizers. We might use mind maps, charts, and other structures as advance organizers to build understanding and reveal important relationships.
• Visual representations. We might choose tangible objects or pictures to demonstrate key concepts, connections, and content.

Many students may have previous experience, or otherwise have background knowledge, that is relevant to what they are about to learn, but they may not immediately recall what they have learned. Yet, with some refreshing and reminding, their background knowledge is likely to be renewed in preparation of supporting their learning. Consider these activities to assist in activating background knowledge:

• Vocabulary review. When we have students revisit key terms and language associated with what they have previously learned, we can stimulate their recall and uncover what they already know.
• Brief reteaching. We can provide students with brief reteaching lessons to activate their recall and emphasize elements of past learning that will be important in the learning that lies ahead.
• Peer conversations. We might give pairs of students discussion prompts that draw on what they know and invite recall of previously learned content. After a discussion, students might record or report what they learned about what they already know.
• History mystery. We might conjure a fun mystery that will require students to draw on past learning to solve. We could include hints and clues that point to key elements of past learning as assists to solving the mystery.

The final step in tapping background knowledge is to help students connect what they already know with what they are going to learn. While building and activating prior knowledge sets the stage for learning, making connections can jump-start the process. Here are some options on which to build:

• Present a preview. Once students have built the necessary background information and refreshed what they already know, we might present a preview of what they will learn next. Following our introduction, we can present questions or lead a discussion about how what students already know might connect with and support what they will be learning.
• Tap curiosity. We might present a question or dilemma that stimulates imagination and “hooks” students on finding answers. When the “hook” is embedded in what students already know, and points to what they are going to learn, it will be a sure winner.
• Design a small-scale problem. We can present students with small-scale problems that can be solved with information they already have and skills they already possess. We might follow up with an introduction to the new learning that builds on what students already know but requires making connections and going beyond their current knowledge and skills.
• Create a simulation. We might design a multi-part simulation, the first phase of which can be engaged with the background knowledge students already possess. When students reach a barrier or challenge that demands more knowledge or skill, we can introduce new learning to complete the next phase, and the cycle can be repeated as new learning grows and becomes more complex.

The crucial role that background knowledge plays in learning demands that we ensure that students have the knowledge and skill foundations to benefit from our instruction. We also must be certain that the background knowledge students possess is active and ready to be tapped. Finally, we need to help students to make the connections necessary to allow what they already know to support what they are going to learn.

Reference:

Koedinger, K. R., Carvalho, P. F., Liu, R., and McLaughlin, E. A. (2023). An astonishing regularity in student learning rate. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States of America, 120(13). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2221311120

Most of us have probably heard of the term lean manufacturing, a process popularized by Toyota. The focus of lean manufacturing is to improve quality and reliability, without increasing the time and other resources required to support the manufacturing process. While the thinking behind lean manufacturing has been applied by other activities, only recently has the approach been applied to the process of learning.  

Yet, learning is an activity featuring ample opportunities to increase efficiency and effectiveness. Consider that we forget 75% of what we learn in just seven days if we fail to apply it, according to research by psychologist Herman Ebbinghaus, the discoverer of “The Forgetting Curve.” Meanwhile, estimates are that college freshmen retain less than half of what they learned in high school. It is not unusual to find that students fail to recall much of what they have previously learned, even over the course of a few weeks or months.  

Much of the thinking and research related to lean learning is occurring in the world of adult learning, primarily in the workplace. Businesses have clear incentives to have the learning of their employees be efficient, so that minimal production time is sacrificed to classes and other learning activities. They also want employees to retain what they learned to avoid having to relearn what they once knew.  

Lean learning thrives in the presence of several conditions. For example, it works best when it is driven by a specific need, is seen as useful, or has a purpose. Lean learning practices also fit best with skills and concepts that have immediate application and can be applied in real-life settings and situations. Lean learning is typically iterative. Learning starts with just the essentials of what is to be learned, and additional information, skills, and applications are added as learners are ready for them. Introduction of new content and skills is driven by and aligned with the specific needs and interests of the learner. Further, lean learning is enhanced when learning and practice are shared with peers.   

There are obvious opportunities to apply lean learning principles and practices with our students. However, there also are challenges in the context of standardized curricula, set schedules for instruction, and frequent difficulties providing real-time, real-life applications for learning, especially if we are just starting.  

You might consider starting with your own learning to gain experience and build confidence with the approach before engaging students. Consider this brief lean learning cycle as an example of a place to start: 

• Identify a skill you would like to learn. For example, you may have a technology tool or application with which you would like to become proficient, or you may want to try a new discussion or questioning technique. The list of potential topics and skills is limitless. (Condition: Specific need or purpose) 
• Engage someone to help you learn the essential information you need to get started. And, if possible, enlist others with a similar interest or need to learn with you. Often, as little as 20-30% of the full scope of the skills is enough to begin. Focus on what is crucial to be able to do something with what you learn. (Conditions: Focus on essential learning and learn with peers) 
• Apply what you have learned as soon as possible, optimally within a few hours or days, while the learning is fresh and the recall is clear. The longer you wait, the less you will remember, and the more difficult it will be to practice productively. (Condition: Real-life, real-time application) 
• Get feedback on initial attempts, ask questions to clarify and extend your learning, and capture any insights you gained. Ask yourself: How did it go? What do I need to learn next? What did I discover from the initial application? (Condition: Explore what you want to learn next) 
• Repeat the cycle to build the next level of learning, expand your skills, and gain expertise while your initial experience is fresh and feedback is still recallable. With each iterative cycle, focus on new applications, more sophisticated skills, and new insights upon which to build. (Condition: Iterative cycles) 

The principles and conditions that underlie lean learning are not new. However, too often they are ignored in large-scale learning efforts and neglected when what we need to learn is challenging. Take some time to build your lean learning expertise and then offer the same opportunity to your students.  

We know that the environment within which learning occurs matters. The right environments can encourage and facilitate learning, while environments filled with conflict, fear, and confusion can have the opposite effect. As we approach the midpoint in the school year, now is a good time to step back and consider what is working well, what may need attention and adjustment, and what may need to be abandoned and replaced.  

A good place to start is to conduct a scan of how well the current operation of your classroom reflects your hopes, expectations, and priorities across nine key aspects of operation. Here are questions to stimulate and support your reflection:  

• Instructional strategies: How well are instructional strategies aligned to individual student readiness and needs? Do classroom activities regularly include variety, novelty, humor, voice, and choice? How well informed are students of their progress? How frequent, timely, and effective is the learning feedback students receive?  
• Learning focus: How consistently are students actively engaged in their learning? Are students more focused on learning or on grades? How often do students set goals for their learning? How frequently do students have opportunities to review and reinforce previous learning?  
• Learning Progress: Whose learning is on track, and who is falling behind? What recognition and encouragement do successful students need now? What supports are available and accessed by students who are struggling? What role do students play in monitoring their progress? How might students become more involved in and accountable for monitoring their progress?  
• Emotional climate: What is the emotional tenor in your classroom? What is the level of worry, fear, and stress? What might be done to lower the levels of emotion that may interfere with learning? How anxious or stressed are you?  
• Relationships: How strong and stable are your relationships with students? Do students seek you out when they have academic and personal concerns and struggles? Do students accept, support, and encourage each other? Have families bought in to your course expectations and goals? 
• Management activities: How well are classroom routines addressing transitions, learning activities, and student behavior challenges? In what areas do you still have to remind students of routines and expectations? How frequently are you able to anticipate potential issues or problems and take steps to prevent their emergence? What opportunities exist to make better use of time?  
• Behavioral issues: What types of behavior issues are you finding to be most frequent and disruptive? What have you tried that has been effective in moving students to more acceptable behavior? Where do you struggle most with behavior issues? How are you ensuring that all students are treated equitably? Where might you access support to expand your strategies, receive coaching, or other types of assistance?  
• Technology use: How integrated is available technology with learning activities? What is the balance of student engagement with technology as consumers, appliers, and creators? What opportunities exist for students to use technology to extend their learning beyond simply consuming information and regurgitating it? 
• Physical supports: How well does the arrangement of classroom furniture reflect student learning and engagement goals? Is the room aesthetically pleasing and reflective of the cultures and demographics of students? Are supplies, materials, and equipment organized and readily accessible?  

Obviously, there may be many aspects of your classroom environment that deserve attention. However, be careful not to become overwhelmed. Choose a few areas on which to focus. Meanwhile, do not forget to pause and reflect on what is working well, lessons you have learned, and successes you have achieved. 

The saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words” may contain more truth than we assume. We know that looking at a powerful image can stir our emotions, stimulate our curiosity, and stay in our memory for a good while. As an extension of this, a recent study points to significant power in creating pictures of things we want to learn and later recall.  

The study examined whether picture drawing as part of the learning process can enhance performance and build long-term memory. Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada found in multiple trials that drawing to-be-learned information produced results superior to any other known mnemonic techniques, including visualization, viewing pictures, listing physical characteristics, writing, tracing, or associating the information with a mental image. In fact, drawing pictures of what needs to be remembered was more than twice as powerful as writing down new content.  

The researchers noted that at least four powerful learning and recall processes are at work when we draw a picture to represent words and concepts: elaboration, visual imaging, motor movement, and pictorial representation. To draw, we must notice or create physical characteristics of what we want to learn and remember. This step requires us to elaborate beyond what we see or hear. As we draw, we create an image of the object of our attention. This step engages the process of visual imagery. The act of drawing involves hand movement, thus further solidifying our attention through motor activity. Finally, the product of the process is a pictorial image with multiple links to our observation, imagination, and actions.  

Importantly, the artistic talent displayed, or the quality of drawing people produce, does not appear to influence the benefits gained from the drawing process. Further, the amount of time invested in drawing pictures for this purpose also does not appear to be a significant factor in the effectiveness of the strategy. In fact, even when study participants were given only a few seconds to draw a picture, they still experienced significant advantages in later memory. Age also does not appear to be a factor in reaping the benefits. Drawing activities improved learning and memory for young learners, adults, and even individuals more advanced in age.  

The potential benefits of this strategy for students are obvious. The deeper observation and engagement associated with drawing pictures can enhance the learning performance and memory recall of our students.  

Meanwhile, the process also does not have to be time consuming, as students can benefit even from making short, rough drawings when time is limited. Of course, there may be circumstances when allocating more time to the process will allow students to add details and enhance the depth of their learning and extend their recall.  

We can support students to engage in drawing as a learning and memory assist by: 

• Sharing and discussing with students the research on the benefits of drawing to enhance learning and memory. 
• Guiding students to notice elements or aspects of what they want to learn that might be converted to a drawing. 

• Encouraging students to create a mental image of the information or content they want to learn and recall.  
• Reminding students to pay attention to their hand movements as they draw to create an even stronger connection between the image and their experience. 
• Having students practice drawing pictures of what they want to learn and then explain their drawing to other students to reinforce the experience. 
• Replicating the research study to test this approach against other mnemonic strategies. (The full research report is available via the provided link.) 

Giving students tools and techniques to enhance their learning and extend their recall can be a great way to build their learning capacity. We also help them to expand the array of strategies they have available when they struggle or need to learn something particularly important.  

Source:

Fernandes, M., Wammes, J., & Meade, M. (2018). The surprisingly powerful influence of drawing on memory. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 27(5), 302-308. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721418755385 

It is not unusual to hear complaints that students are too dependent on us as their teachers. We may believe that students too often wait to be told what to do, how to do it, and if they are doing well enough. Unfortunately, we can unintentionally contribute to this problem. We undermine learning independence when we are quick to tell our students what to do, how to do it, and condition our approval on their pleasing us.  

Of course, we live in a world that is quickly becoming one in which imagining possibilities, figuring out what to do, and learning even when there is no one to teach us is crucial to success. If we hope to prepare today’s students for their future, we need to nurture an increasing learning independence as they progress through their school experience. The question is, how can we nurture learning independence while remaining in a position to provide support and guidance when needed? Here are eight strategies that can help us get started.  

Tap learner interest and curiosity. Students own their curiosity, so it can be a starting point on the path toward independence. Interest gives students a reason to inquire, explore, and pursue what they find compelling. We can nudge students towards independence by feeding what is already driving them. 

Provide meaningful learning choices. The nature of choice making is that if the subject or issue is important to the student, the student is more likely to value and take ownership of what they have chosen. Value and ownership are elements capable of driving independence. Students are far less likely to seek learning independence if they see the topic as something we have chosen for them rather than something they have chosen for themselves. 

Present and expose students to challenges that feature multiple solutions. Students often believe that the problems they are presented in school must have one singular solution and that success is achieved by finding that solution or providing the teacher with the answer they are seeking. Yet, life more often presents challenges that can be solved through a variety of processes and that lead to multiple answers. Our role is to ask what else might be important, how else a situation might be approached, and what other solution might also be effective. 

Allow students to experience struggle and setbacks. When we step in too quickly as students begin to struggle or experience a setback, we risk fostering dependence rather than independence. Struggle can be an effective force for learning, and setbacks can provide excellent opportunities to seek new strategies and approaches. We can encourage greater independence by asking questions that help students to reflect on their thinking and examine what else they might try. We can encourage and coach, but we need to be careful not to take over and provide answers that students can discover and develop on their own.  

Give opportunities for students to work in groups. At first, this strategy may not seem to be an obvious tool to foster independence as students may still be dependent on other members of their group. However, group work shifts the focus of learners away from our direct support, thus it can be an important intermediate step. Further, if we structure the group’s work to foster independence and autonomy, risk-averse students can gain confidence as they experience the support of other group members.  

Expose students to authentic problems and real-world challenges. Authenticity is an attractive feature in learning, as the purpose for learning becomes more apparent and the results become more rewarding. When students see the outcomes of their efforts and learning as making the lives of others or the community better, the incentive to learn becomes stronger. Further, we can position ourselves as resources to support their learning rather than the assigner of content and skills to be learned.  

Coach students to set learning goals. For many students, setting goals for their learning makes them more likely to take learning seriously than when we set and present goals to them. Of course, students often have limited experience and skills in goal setting, so we may need to provide early support and coaching. Modest, short-term goals are likely to be most effective at first. Over time, though, we can gradually shift the responsibility to our students and coach them to increase the length and significance of goals they set.  

Help students build the skills and reflection capacity to assess their own learning. Of course, we have a responsibility to assess, provide feedback, and share accountability for the learning that occurs in our classroom. Unfortunately, for many students, we become the sole judge of what is satisfactory or excellent. Yet, students can develop the ability to apply standards, rubrics, and other measuring tools to their learning. Not only does this skillset better equip students for life, but as students assess their learning, they also become less dependent on us and can better engage in discussions about how they are doing, what they need to do next, and how good is good enough.  

Nurturing and coaching students to be independent learners is not easy. They often prefer to have us tell them what to do and how to do it. Our students can become frustrated as we nudge them to become more independent in their learning. However, doing so is a key responsibility and gift from which students can benefit for the rest of their lives.  

As educators, we might think that a perfect lesson is one in which students immediately respond to our instruction and quickly grasp a challenging concept or learn a complex skill we have introduced. These experiences can be uplifting and reinforcing, but they do not always lead to the best learning outcomes for our students.  

When students are immediately able to grasp and apply what they have been taught, it is likely that they already knew some (or much) of what they heard or that the content was not as challenging as we assumed it would be. Unfortunately, it is also true that the learning that comes easily and quickly can be forgotten just as easily and quickly.  

We know that struggle is a key part of deep and long retained learning. Still, though, a common perception is that when learning comes easily, it is a sign of being smart, and when learning requires struggle, it indicates that the learner must not be very skilled. Students who learn quickly often have strong short-term memories that make them able to repeat and demonstrate what they have been taught in the near term. Obviously, we do not want students to become overwhelmed with the difficulty of struggle, but when students struggle at the leading edge of their learning, they must pay attention, examine, and grapple with what they are learning. As a result, new learning becomes more deeply embedded in their understanding and memories. Consequently, struggle should not be an experience confined to students who lack robust academic background knowledge or who need more time to process and make sense of what they are taught.  

If we want to nurture proficient, highly skilled, confident learners, we need to design struggle into the learning we present to them. Struggle must become an expected—even welcomed—element of the learning in which they engage. Let’s examine six benefits that learning struggles can generate for our students.  

Designed struggle in learning... 

• Leads to clarity. Struggle often begins with confusion about what and how to learn. As students sift and sort through what they already know and discover new elements to be learned, they gradually gain clarity and insight that lead to learning progress and ultimate success. Overcoming struggle involves the pursuit of understanding and finding a productive path forward. 

• Improves memory. When learning comes easily, students can neglect to transfer what they have learned from working memory to long-term memory. Consequently, it can be quickly lost and will need to be relearned when needed again in the future. On the other hand, when students engage in struggle, their brains are more likely to recognize the significance of what is being learned and transfer it to long-term memory for later recall.  

• Encourages use of multiple strategies. When learning involves struggle, obvious and previously relied-upon strategies can be inadequate or inappropriate for use. As a result, students often must discover, design, and deploy new approaches. Learning how to be flexible, preparing to find new paths, and practicing new tactics can be important life success skills that extend well beyond formal, school-based learning.  

• Nurtures resilience. Struggle invites students to do more than try or persist. When students learn new strategies, discover new approaches, and deploy new tactics, they are simultaneously growing their resilience. No longer are they repeating what has not worked for them; rather, they are learning to shift their thinking and adjust their behavior in ways that can be transferred to other areas of life when they encounter significant challenges and setbacks.    

• Builds confidence. The more students engage in learning that challenges them and the more that they build skills and strategies to prevail, the more confidence they develop in their learning abilities. Consequently, when these students find themselves struggling, they are less likely to conclude that they are not capable and that they should give up. Students who know that struggle is an important aspect of learning and who have a history of overcoming struggle to find success do not panic. They also do not underestimate their ability to learn challenging things.  

• Leads to satisfaction. Interestingly, satisfaction is a direct result of experiencing and overcoming struggle. In fact, without struggle, satisfaction can be a rare emotion. The more often students must struggle in their learning, the more satisfaction they are likely to glean from the experience.   

Our students' guardians, too, can fall into the trap of assuming that fast and easy learning is a sign of learning skill. We may need to explain and demonstrate the value of learning struggles so that they do not become alarmed when their students who have not struggled in the past find themselves having to develop new skills and strategies to be successful.

We typically think of review as something in which we engage students as they prepare for a major assessment. After all, we know that revisiting past learning refreshes memory and helps to retrieve previously learned concepts and skills. While such retrieval can lead to better performance on assessments, of course, review can also play important roles in learning beyond simple test preparation. In fact, review is a key to building long-term information recall, and it is crucial in preparing for new learning.  

Regular review of previously learned content needs to be a priority if we hope to have students retain what they have learned beyond the next assessment, or even the end of the year and beyond. The more opportunities we give students to review what they have learned, the longer they are likely to retain it. Further, review can build students’ confidence that they are making progress and building a strong memory base that will serve them well in the future. Let’s examine six learning benefits of regular review. 

Review builds and freshens background knowledge. Distributed practice is an effective way to review previous learning and refresh recall. It can also remind students of details and reinforce nuanced elements of previous learning, thus dispelling misconceptions and avoiding faulty memory.  

Review creates space for working memory. Working memory has limited capacity, as it functions as a temporary location for new information. When students review information and concepts to which they have recently been exposed, they accelerate the process of moving information from their working memory into their long-term memory, thus creating space for new learning to occur.  

Review strengthens long-term memory. Not only does review create space for new learning, but it also builds stronger, more accurate long-term memory. Over time, recall can become selective, and perceptions can drift. Even a quick review of key information and brief practice with previously learned skills can sharpen and reinforce long-term recall.  

Review builds connections and schema. When we initially learn new concepts or are introduced to new information, we can miss subtleties and overlook how pieces of information and actions are related. When we return to previously learned content, we often see connections and patterns we missed the first time. As a result, we can build schema that deepens our understanding and insight and increases our ability to apply what we know in new and more effective ways. 

Review increases automaticity. We know that frequent review of information such as math facts or standard procedures and processes makes them increasingly easy to recall. When combined with practice, the information becomes so familiar that we sometimes call it muscle memory. If we want students to easily access and apply what they have learned, frequent review is a must.  

Review builds expertise. The combination of review-related benefits we have discussed contributes to high levels of proficiency. The journey to becoming an expert is paved with review and practice. Regular engagement in review can prevent a drift into bad habits and faulty shortcuts.  

Obviously, review needs to be part of our ongoing learning-support routines. As examples, information learned last week might be a priority for review on the following Monday and learning from the past month might be the focus of review during the second week of the next month. The key is to make review a regular practice if we hope to have our students retain what they learned with us—after they leave us.  

Feel stuck in a rut or just plain tired of doing the same things you’ve done in the past? Are you in need of a new idea, a different approach, or an innovative take on a long-standing problem? Maybe you want to write a newsletter, a blog, or an article for publication. Possibly, you are pondering a new strategy for teaching a skill or introducing new content. Or maybe it is a behavior challenge that you want to solve, rather than just punish. Or it might be that you have an urge to create something larger, more significant, and life changing.  

Regardless, the truth is that we do not always feel creative, or at least as creative as we would like to be. We may be facing a block that’s getting in the way of our writing. We may struggle to think of options and opportunities outside of our lived experiences. Or we may just have a vague feeling that we are on the verge of creating something unique and useful, but it remains just beyond our reach.  

Our challenge, then, is to engage our brain and stimulate our “creative juices” to move our thinking forward in a productive direction. The good news is that there are several research-based and experience-proven strategies we can employ to help “unstick” our thinking and, as a result, free us to create. Here are six actions to consider and try.    

• Take a walk. It does not have to be a long walk. In truth, it does not necessarily have to even be a walk at all; the key is to engage in moderate exercise that allows us to think, reflect, and imagine. Activating our muscles, appreciating nature, and observing what is beautiful and interesting around us can help us to get into a creative flow.  
• Step back and relax. Anxiety and pressure are the enemies of creativity. Pressing to find an answer may lead to an acceptable outcome, but it is likely to be less than we really want to create. In fact, when we press too hard, we are more likely to fall back on what we have done in the past and try to make it work than create what meets our goal.  

• Just try something. Often, just by us making an attempt, even if we may be fairly certain it won’t work, we learn more about what might actually work. We can hold on to what has potential while adding, adjusting, and adapting in areas that need more work. Falling short is not failure; it is an opportunity to sort, examine, and learn.  
• Think about something unrelated. Shifting our focus to something other than the problem we are trying to solve or the solution we want to create can give our brains time to process and prepare to return to our challenge. Meanwhile, we may discover a new insight, develop new a new perspective, or make a connection that leads to a breakthrough.  
• Try talking it out. Verbalizing our struggle can help us to connect the dots and arrive at new insights. We may just need to organize what we know in order to see patterns and possibilities that point to our destination. We might engage a friend or colleague as a listener, or we might just find a quiet place and talk out loud about our thinking and explore options and possibilities. Talking about what we are trying to figure out can reveal that we know more than we realize and are closer to a solution than we imagine.  
• Take a nap. If all else fails, sleep on it. Even though we may not be conscious as we sleep, our brain continues to work. Our subconscious mind is busy trying to find an answer to our dilemma. Free from the distractions present when we are awake, our brains can be remarkably creative. We may find that when we wake up, we are ready to tackle our challenge, and we will likely see possibilities we previously did not notice. 

Of course, these same strategies can also be helpful to our students when they struggle to find a unique idea, design a project, or develop a solution to a learning or life challenge. Anyone can struggle with finding and tapping their creativity. Feel free to share with those in your life who might need a little creative boost. 

Seeing students become ensnared by misconceptions and slowed by learning barriers can be among the most disappointing and disheartening experiences we confront in our role as educators. Our disappointment is only further compounded when our students are otherwise interested, engaged, and committed to their learning.  

Fortunately, there are several steps we can take to help students avoid predictable misconceptions and sidestep common learning barriers. However, we need to anticipate potential problem areas and learning traps, and then we need to develop plans to help our students avoid them before they are encountered in order for our efforts to be effective.  

A good place to start is sorting through our experiences with student struggles in the past and refreshing our knowledge of how our students learn. We might think about what has worked and where students have been challenged with past learning, especially with the learning that parallels what they are about to learn.  

We can pre-assess our students to measure their current understanding and recall of the key content and skills necessary to be successful with the planned new learning. However, we must remove any hint or intention of consequences for their not knowing or recalling. In short, we need an accurate assessment of what students know—and what they are ready to learn.  

Using the information from our prior knowledge and pre-assessment activities, our next step is to coach and support students to activate their prior knowledge. We might use practice problems, reteaching, or simply a discussion with students to bring what they have learned into an active state that can be employed to support new learning.  

Next, we can design scaffolding to support students to find success as they approach the next learning challenge. The scaffolding design might include key vocabulary words students will need to know, important concepts and skills to employ, strategies to consider, and background information that might be helpful. 

Depending on the nature, scope, and challenge of the new learning, we might develop a more comprehensive preview guide to create interest, stimulate curiosity, and build confidence in our students. The guide might include questions that students will find compelling, provocative statements to consider, and hints regarding the value and purpose of what students will be learning. Any scaffolding and supports we have designed can be included in the guide, as well as reminders of the prior learning and skills that students already possess, that will be useful to their new learning.  

Of course, we want our preparation to help students avoid needless and distracting barriers and missteps as they learn, but our purpose is not to remove all the challenges and struggles students may encounter. Learning that comes through effort, and even mistakes, is also important to our students’ development, competence, and confidence to take on future learning challenges. The bottom line is this: Our goal is not to prevent all mistakes and setbacks that will occur as students learn. We want students to experience enough success to create learning momentum, but we also want to build learning resilience and flexibility that will serve them long after they leave our classroom.