Implications for Education
This article studies medical diagnostic information. The implications I’m about to share represent an assumption that this might translate to other domains.
In a world where information is not only available, but sometimes thrust upon us whether we like it or not, it’s important to be aware that these short “blips” of knowledge may be leading us to have high confidence in our understanding of an area, with low accuracy in our ability to apply it. A quick headline or social media post may give us a false belief that we understand a domain that we would have actually been more accurate in had we not received that information at all.
Let me say that again for the people in the back: Reading headlines without seeking additional information makes you more confident that you understand what’s going on while actually reducing your understanding.
In our classes, this may mean that our students stop studying when they have a cursory amount of information, feeling as though they know enough. They likely do not realize how much more there is to know. A little bit of knowledge may actually stunt their curiosity and interest to learn more.
What do we do about this? I would argue that this is where retrieval practice and elaborative interrogation lead to better learning. Retrieval practice has repeatedly been shown to improve metacognitive accuracy, reducing the overconfidence that comes from rereading. Elaborative interrogation asks how and why questions to deepen and organize the knowledge students have, leading to better understanding.
Final Thought
While this study has major implications in a world of rapid knowledge acquisition, it also signals that, as educators, we need to ensure that we are using the effective learning strategies that extend knowledge beyond the shallow level here that is so problematic. We need to be aware not just of students’ knowledge, but also their confidence in their knowledge and work to improve both to develop better self-directed learners.
