Edition #2: Promoting Active Struggle
Originally posted on Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Back in the spring of 2022, this article by Jill Barshay landed in my inbox and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.
Tl;dr: Barshay examines a 2019 study that compared students’ feeling of learning to their actual learning across different instructional practices. Students in classrooms that promoted passive engagement felt as though their learning was more effective, while students in classrooms promoting active engagement felt as though their learning was less effective. Yet, the actual learning outcomes were the reverse! Students in active classrooms performed better on subsequent assessments than their peers in passive classrooms.
So why does this matter?
If students view productive struggle (something that often shows up in active engagement) as a sign that they aren’t learning, they may end up avoiding or disengaging from the types of activities that are going to be most beneficial to them in the long run. Instead, students will likely adopt passive learning strategies when working independently (unless instructed otherwise).
I share all this because, In recent weeks, a number of different articles examining student aversion to struggle/anxiety have popped up. If you’re interested in this topic and have time for a longer read, I highly recommend Lisa Damour’s book The Emotional Lives of Teenagers. For something shorter, check out the following:
Jay Deitcher, “Sometimes kids need a push. Here’s how to do it kindly.” Vox, March 13, 2024.
Crystal Frommert, “Bringing the Harkness Method to Math Class,” Edutopia, March 21, 2024
Stephen Merrill and Daniel Leonard, “5 Popular Education Beliefs That Aren’t Backed by Research,” Edutopia, March 29, 2024.
Lenore Skenazy, “Kids Need More ‘Risky Play’ Says Canadian Pediatrics Society,” Grow, January 25, 2024.
Lisa Damour, “Teenagers, Anxiety Can Be Your Friend,” The New York Times, March 25, 2021
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