How do learners embrace the tough challenges to actually enhance learning?
Exploring the notion of ‘desirable difficulties’ can transform conventional teaching practices and improve long-term learning outcomes for students.
What is the Concept of ‘Desirable Difficulties’?
Researchers Bjork and Bjork introduce ‘Desirable Difficulties Into Practice and Instruction: Obstacles and Opportunities’ (2023), which is the notion that learning techniques designed to make learning harder, are significantly more effective.
Why Are ‘Desirable Difficulties’ Important?
‘Desirable difficulties’ challenge the traditional, comfortable methods of teaching and learning. This approach aims to improve retention and recall of information by strengthening the mental effort required during learning. It may appear to be counterintuitive; the research suggests that immediate struggle can lead to long-term benefits in education.
How Can Teachers Implement These Strategies?
Teachers can introduce these difficulties by spacing (practice) out lesson topics, mixing up the order of the material covered, and incorporating frequent, low-stakes testing instead of relying solely on end-of-term assessments.
These methods promote deeper processing of the material and help students build stronger, more durable connections in their learning.
What if? (Reflection questions for teachers to consider)
- What subjects might benefit from the application of desirable difficulties?
- How do you nurture desirable difficulties?
- How do we differentiate between immediate performance during learning and actual, long-term learning?
- Can the process of forgetting actually enhance learning by making retrieval more effortful?
- Why might strategies that make learning feel more challenging actually be more effective?
- Why do traditional methods of learning conflict with what research suggests is most effective?
- How reliable are learners’ own assessments of their learning processes?
- How can teachers effectively implement strategies that introduce desirable difficulties into their teaching?
The research concludes:
… In a world that is ever more complex and rapidly changing, and in which learning on one’s own is becoming ever more important, learning how to learn is the ultimate survival tool.
Desirable difficulties include strategies like varying learning environments, interleaving subjects during teaching, and using spaced repetition over cramming.
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