Worked+Examples

** Appropriate Uses and Examples of Worked Examples **

how to perform a task or solve a problem. Worked examples are designed to help learners build procedural skills and strategic skills. Sweller (2004) proposed a "Borrowing and Recognizing Principle" of human learning. He suggests that the main path to building new knowledge in long term memory is through imitating others. Worked examples offer an especially efficient opportunity to borrow knowledge from others. It has been proven that learning is much more efficient by using worked examples.(Clark & Mayer, pg. 227) || " Worked examples can be designed to build //procedural// skills or //strategic// skills" (Clark and Mayer, 2011, p. 229). || According to Clark and Mayer (2011), "an example of a procedural skill is how to use a spreadsheet and an example of a strategic skill is how to conduct a negotiation" (p. 224). || In fading, the learner is provided a fully worked example. The second example will have most of the steps completed and the learner will complete the final steps. As the examples progress, the learner completes more of the problem until they are able to complete the whole problem. || "Worked examples are proven to be the most effective path during the initial stages of learning ....novices benefit from the cognitive load relief of studying an example rather than solving a problem as the basis for initial learning" (Clark and Mayer, 2011, p. 230). || "In progressing through a series of faded worked examples, the learner gradually assumes more and more of the mental work until at the end of the sequence he or she is completing full practice problems" (Clark and Mayer, 2011, p. 230). || Researchers have found that often there could be a problem with worked examples because learners either ignore or do not review the examples provided. It also has been found that better learners review worked examples by explaining to themselves the principles provided in the examples. (Clark & Mayer, 2011 pg.231) || "Successful learning from worked examples requires psychological engagement and this can be done using techniques that encourage deeper learning like self-explanation questions" (Clark and Mayer, 2011, p. 231). || "A self-explanation question is an interaction-often multiple choice in e-learning-that requires the learner to review the worked out step(s) and identify the underlying principles or rationale behind them" (Clark and Mayer, 2011, p. 231). || Adding instructional explanations to worked examples can be an asset to the learner. It has been found that there are three situations where adding instructional explanations was helpful. One situation would be when conceptual understanding is needed. Second, instructional explanations are needed when there are no self-explanation questions requiring the learners response and lastly, when the problem is mathematical in content. (Clark & Mayer, 2011, pg. 235) || Renkl (2011)," says that instructional examples are helpful in the presence of //boundary conditions// which include three situations: when problem solving is not the goal, when instructional explanation is not available, and when the learners feel intimidating" (Clark and Mayer, 2011, pp. 234-235). || "For example in e-learning, a 'help' button might offer more specific details or rationale for the guidelines illustrated in the worked example" (Clark and Mayer, 2011, p. 234). || Multimedia can prove to be very important when using worked examples. Providing relevant visual illustrations and audio to the steps of worked examples can be very beneficial to the learner. || "To maximize the cognitive load benefits of worked examples, it is important that you apply the multimedia principles to their design" (Clark and Mayer, 2011, p. 235). || Multimedia Principles: (Clark and Mayer, 2011, pp. 235-238) || Worked examples can be used in training to help learners apply steps learned to othersimilar situations. || "In some situations, the main goal is to teach learners procedures-tasks that are performed pretty much the same way each time they are completed" (Clark and Mayer, 2011, p. 239). || "Accesing yor e-mail or filling out a customer order form are two typical examples" (Clark and Mayer, 2011, p. 239). ||
 * ===**Worked Examples**=== || ===Appropriate Uses=== || ===Examples=== ||
 * A worked example is a step-by-step demonstration of
 * **Fade from Worked Examples to Problems**
 * **Self-Explanations**
 * **Instructional Explanations of Worked Examples**
 * **Apply Multimedia Principles to Worked Examples**
 * Illustrate worked examples with relevant visuals
 * Present steps with audio-NOT audio and text
 * Present steps with integrated text
 * Present steps in conceptually meaningful chunks
 * Present steps with learner control of pacing
 * Familiarize learners with example context.
 * **Support Learning Transfer through Worked Examples**