“Problem solving only becomes relatively effective when learners are sufficiently experienced so that studying a worked example, is for them, a redundant activity that increases working memory load compared to generating a known solution. This phenomenon is an example of expertise reversal effect. It emphasizes the importance of providing novices in an area with extensive guidance because they do not have sufficient knowledge in long-term memory to prevent unproductive problem-solving search. That guidance can only be relaxed with increased expertise as knowledge in long-term memory can take over from external guidance.”

– Kirschner, Sweller and Clark

I had a hard time reading this article. In my opinion, the authors lacked an open-mind when examining the “minimal guidance instruction”, but instead viewed it with an already disparaging outlook. Taking into account that it was written a decade ago, and in that decade more and more research in favour of learning environments like IBL has been published, I attempted to read it without prejudice. I still found it very difficult.

I acknowledge that Kirschner, Sweller and Clark were writing from a clinical view – their argument focuses on long-term memory and it’s role in education. What they fail to consider is the process in which IBL is introduced in a student’s education. It appears as if their assumption is that we throw them into the deep end and expect them to find the answers that we want them to find. I expect that, if they were too look at more recent works on inquiry-based learning, they would re-evaluate their assumptions. If that is not the case and they are still opposed despite the evidence of the benefits, they will simply be a part of the camp that stands by the traditional ideologies of education, like in any other ‘radical’ development.

Kirschner, P.A., Sweller, J., Clark, R.E. (2006). Why Minimal Guidance During Instruction Does Not Work: An Analysis of the Failure of Constructivism, Discovery, Problem-Based, Experiential and Inquiry-Based Teaching. Educational Psychologist, 41(2), 75-86. Retrieved from http://www.cogtech.usc.edu/publications/kirschner_Sweller_Clark.pdf