Worked Examples
Overview
Using examples to explain problems is a method that is commonly used by educators at many levels of education. Worked examples is a specific type of example that is a step by step demonstration of how to solve a problem, learn a procedure or perform a task (Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E., 2011). Worked examples will often use a variety of media and are most effective when learners are provided with video, audio, text, and graphics to illustrate the desired content. Using worked examples in the classroom highlights the importance of the process rather than just the final result and is an important tool for a variety of learning.
Using examples to explain problems is a method that is commonly used by educators at many levels of education. Worked examples is a specific type of example that is a step by step demonstration of how to solve a problem, learn a procedure or perform a task (Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E., 2011). Worked examples will often use a variety of media and are most effective when learners are provided with video, audio, text, and graphics to illustrate the desired content. Using worked examples in the classroom highlights the importance of the process rather than just the final result and is an important tool for a variety of learning.
Key Concepts
Fading from Worked Examples to Problems
The idea of fading is to give students a fully worked out example as their base for learning a principle, concept or skill as a reference. Educators would then give the students another problem from the same concept but this time students would need to complete the final step to get the correct answer. After this, educators would gradually increase the number of steps that students need to complete with the final result being the students complete a problem from scratch.
Promote Self-Explanations
The idea of promoting self-explanations in a worked example is to encourage students to explain the principle themselves. Adding self-explanations helps students understand a principle better as it makes them think about how the principle is being reflected in the problem. This type of worked example is better to use at later stages of learning when students are beginning to become comfortable with explaining their rationale. Self-explanation would have students identify the underlying principle behind a problem rather than simply solving it. An example of this is provided in the figure below.
Include Instructional Explanations In Some Situations
Certain situations lend themselves better to instructional explanations rather than self-explanation, especially concepts that are new or complex. The idea behind providing instructional explanations in worked examples is to provide additional support to understand the guidelines of the concept. Including these explanations into worked examples are best suited in three situations; when conceptual understanding is the goal, when there are no self-explanation questions in the worked example and especially with mathematical content. As learners become more comfortable with the content to be learned, educators should minimize instructional explanation and work towards students providing their own explanation.
Support Learning Transfer
Support learning transfer refers to the idea of using one principle or procedure and transferring it to multiple situations. Using this strategy is beneficial because people are better able to understand a concept when they learn about it in a variety of contexts. The purpose of this is to build skills or strategies that the students can use in different situations and adapt them to be successful. An example of this would be to provide students with problems with the same end goals, but the situations themselves seem completely unrelated. Students would then compare the situations and come up with a solution to the problems.
Practical Suggestions for Educators
Strategic Tasks
Worked examples don’t have to be a step-by-step process of how to solve a well-structured math problem. Worked examples are also beneficial when dealing with higher level strategic tasks that require problem-solving such as how to construct an effective argument, report writing, how to devise a mathematical proof, or how to troubleshoot equipment.
Modeling Examples
Modeling examples are a type of worked example where a person demonstrates how to solve a problem or complete a task, either in person or via a video recorded demonstration. There are two main types of modeling examples: cognitive models and interpersonal skills models. Cognitive models focus on skills that an instructor or tutor demonstrates how to do or a problem that they demonstrate how to solve. An example of this would be a tutorial video of how to set up an excel spreadsheet. Interpersonal skills models focus on social skills that an expert demonstrates how to perform. An example of this would be a sales training video which shows someone using techniques to sell a new product to a customer.
Introductory Lessons
For your first lessons of whatever topic you are discussing, you can use faded worked examples. This is a good way to introduce new topics to your class in a manageable and less confusing way. For example, a probability question in a math class is a great place for a faded example. To do this you would provide students with a fully worked example and another similar problem where they only had to fill out the final step. Next, you would give the students different examples of the same problem type where they would gradually work their way to working out an example from the beginning.
Core Concepts
For this suggestion, you would use either instructional explanations or use self-explanations in the worked examples. You would use these types of worked examples once the students understand the basic concepts. So using self-explanations and instructional explanations is most beneficial to the students when you are trying to get them to understand the reasoning for why the step for the worked example is done the way it is. This would be best used in the middle lessons of a unit.
Advanced Applications
To help the students fully understand a concept and advanced applications of the topic, using support transfer learning would be beneficial. To do this, you would provide the students with multiple problems but are completely different in terms of the situation of the problem. The reason for this is so the students can compare the different problems against each other to help them determine the solution to the problem. This will help the students transfer the concept they learned to different situations they will face.
Strategic Tasks
Worked examples don’t have to be a step-by-step process of how to solve a well-structured math problem. Worked examples are also beneficial when dealing with higher level strategic tasks that require problem-solving such as how to construct an effective argument, report writing, how to devise a mathematical proof, or how to troubleshoot equipment.
Modeling Examples
Modeling examples are a type of worked example where a person demonstrates how to solve a problem or complete a task, either in person or via a video recorded demonstration. There are two main types of modeling examples: cognitive models and interpersonal skills models. Cognitive models focus on skills that an instructor or tutor demonstrates how to do or a problem that they demonstrate how to solve. An example of this would be a tutorial video of how to set up an excel spreadsheet. Interpersonal skills models focus on social skills that an expert demonstrates how to perform. An example of this would be a sales training video which shows someone using techniques to sell a new product to a customer.
Introductory Lessons
For your first lessons of whatever topic you are discussing, you can use faded worked examples. This is a good way to introduce new topics to your class in a manageable and less confusing way. For example, a probability question in a math class is a great place for a faded example. To do this you would provide students with a fully worked example and another similar problem where they only had to fill out the final step. Next, you would give the students different examples of the same problem type where they would gradually work their way to working out an example from the beginning.
Core Concepts
For this suggestion, you would use either instructional explanations or use self-explanations in the worked examples. You would use these types of worked examples once the students understand the basic concepts. So using self-explanations and instructional explanations is most beneficial to the students when you are trying to get them to understand the reasoning for why the step for the worked example is done the way it is. This would be best used in the middle lessons of a unit.
Advanced Applications
To help the students fully understand a concept and advanced applications of the topic, using support transfer learning would be beneficial. To do this, you would provide the students with multiple problems but are completely different in terms of the situation of the problem. The reason for this is so the students can compare the different problems against each other to help them determine the solution to the problem. This will help the students transfer the concept they learned to different situations they will face.
Resources
Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2011). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. John Wiley & Sons.
eLearningExpert. (2015). MLPs- Worked Example Principles [Online video].
Catapano, J. (2015) Teaching Strategies that Give Models, Examples. TeachHub.
Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2011). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. John Wiley & Sons.
eLearningExpert. (2015). MLPs- Worked Example Principles [Online video].
Catapano, J. (2015) Teaching Strategies that Give Models, Examples. TeachHub.