WEBVTT

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[Music] Welcome to the overview

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on Alternating Worked Examples

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with Practice.

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Mr. Potts introduces new algebra

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problems by demonstrating

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on the board how to solve them

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and then gives his students a series

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of problems to do on their own.

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As he walks around the room,

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he notices that most

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of his students are struggling

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with awkward solutions to the problem

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and not applying the strategies he

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has demonstrated.

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He double-checks his lesson

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and feels certain

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that he's explained the process

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in a way the students can follow.

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He wonders what more he can do

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to help them.

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Research studies have found

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that giving students examples of worked

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out solutions before each new problem is

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much more effective

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than simply providing a few examples

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followed by a series of problems.

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When teachers alternate examples

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with practice,

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students gain more insight into

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"expert thinking" and are better able

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to develop problem-solving strategies.

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Students are notoriously poor

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at identifying what they

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don't understand.

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Many times, if they understand a little

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of what they are working on,

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they think they possess a deeper

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understanding than they actually have.

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This "illusion

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of knowing" is an obstacle to learning.

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By providing a worked example before

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each new problem to solve,

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students are alerted

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that the upcoming problem has something

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new that needs

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to be understood before attempting it.

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Without this alert,

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students might skim examples,

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assuming they know enough

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to solve every problem on the page.

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Worked examples also can be used

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to demonstrate how different strategies

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may be used to solve similar types

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of problems.

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Providing examples

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of solved problems can illustrate

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multiple solution strategies

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when they exist.

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Ultimately, students learn more

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by going back and forth

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between studying solved problems

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and then solving similar ones

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than by tackling a set of problems

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after only one or two examples

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at the beginning of a class

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or homework set.

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There are a variety of ways

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to alternate worked examples

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with problem-solving.

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Alternating worked examples looks

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different depending on the subject area.

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A math or chemistry teacher,

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for example, can demonstrate how

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to work a problem before having their

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students solve a single new,

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similar problem on their own.

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The teacher can then check

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for understanding before following

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with another round of demonstration

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and practice.

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A social studies teacher might

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demonstrate how

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to evaluate a primary source document

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and then have her students analyze

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their own.

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The teacher would then demonstrate the

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process again with a different primary

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source and give her students another

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opportunity for practice.

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Teachers can also provide worked

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out solutions for every other problem

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in homework assignments.

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Unfortunately,

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most textbooks don't provide enough

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solved problems,

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but teachers can work together in teams

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to prepare homework packages

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with their own worked examples

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alternating with the textbook's problems

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to solve.

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Teachers can take examples

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from the instructional section

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of the textbook and intersperse them

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into homework sets.

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In conclusion,

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having students study successful

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problem-solving strategies before each

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attempt at their own problem-solving

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strengthens their skills

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and improves their learning.

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Mr. Potts began alternating worked

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examples on the board

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with individual class assignments

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and found that over time,

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more and more students were using

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efficient strategies,

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getting correct answers,

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and solving problems more rapidly!

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To learn more about alternating worked

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examples with practice,

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please explore the additional resources

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on the Doing What Works website.

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[Music]