A Learning Mental Model
Mental models are used to help us make sense of the world. There really is no limit to the number of mental models on any particular subject. In our line of work as educators, we become inundated with different mental models for learning. Some of them are so complex that I get confused just looking at them!
Since I have a simple mind, I want to share a mental model of learning that I came across this week.
It's called the "see-do feedback loop.”
 See: The power of examples and finding patterns. Have you ever been given a problem and you say to yourself, "I just don't know where to start?" When this happens, more than likely, you didn't have a "roadmap" or pattern about how to solve the problem. By watching other people solve a problem, you create a framework of pattern recognition to solve a similar problem on your own in the future.
Do: I think back on my days building a master schedule as a principal. I didn't have much of an idea about how to do it until I sat down with an experienced principal who had done it for many years. I then learned the framework and patterns necessary to do it myself. After each attempt at building a master schedule (and aiming for 85% of learners to get everything they wanted), I became better at building a schedule. Doing the activity after learning the patterns solidified my knowledge.
(Of course now, I cringe at thinking that I was fitting kids into an adult-oriented process that limited the learner's ability to receive the instruction they were passionate about.)
Feedback: Feedback is simply reflection on how you are doing. There are three benefits of feedback in the context of learning. (From the blog post)
- First, it can correct for errors.
- Feedback can train your unconscious learning system. The procedural learning system of the brain operates through rewards. It strengthens past actions that led to success and weakens those that led to failure.
- Feedback directs your attention and motivation for future learning.
Action Item For Learner-Centered Leaders:
How can you incorporate the see-do-feedback loop learning model in your professional development for your staff?
How can you incorporate the see-do-feedback loop learning model for your school's Learners?
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