Can failures make learning more effective?

Scientific litsketch on effective learning

Failures can often make us feel bad about ourself but can failures actually make learning more effective?

Research shows that rather than studying the correct answers to questions right from the beginning, trying to solve the problems on our own first so that we can experience failures is much more effective for learning (Huelser & Metcalfe, 2012).

In an experiment, people were divided into three groups. Group One was presented with both the questions and answers for 5 seconds. Group Two was shown the questions and answers for 10 seconds. Group Three was shown the questions and was asked to solve the questions for 5 seconds, then the questions and answers were presented together for 5 seconds. When all participants were tested, Group Three that was given a chance to make an error performed the best. But interestingly, most participants believed that having the opportunity to fail is not the best method of learning. In other words, we under-appreciate the value of failing.

Certainly, knowing that failures are an effective fuel for growth is the first step in strengthening our grit.

Huelser, Barbie J., and Janet Metcalfe. "Making related errors facilitates learning, but learners do not know it." Memory & cognition 40, no. 4 (2012): 514-527.