Thomas Frey holds out hope that Confidence-Based Learning may be the key to significantly reduce time that it takes to learn new things.
C-BL
In order to handle the large volume of knowledge, what methods are rising to the top? Kate Hevner's first study on Confidence-Based Assessment appeared in the Journal of Social Psychology in 1932. This is not a new discovery. It was initially used to improve the validity and reliability of standard musical assessments. But, in 1967, it was discovered that Confidence-Based Assessment also improved memory retention.
The Corporate World
This method did not become popular in schools but in corporate training centers. It is on the rise in many organizations.
Thomas Frey says, "Confidence-based learning is designed to ensure that learning actually takes place and mastery of a topic is achieved. It is much more than simply delivering information to students. It ensures learning by assessing precisely what people know and what they don't know without guesswork and doubt skewing the results. It then works to rapidly remediate a learner's gaps in knowledge and confidence."
How It Works
Before we can begin learning something new, we first need to assess how much knowledge-base there is and how much information is present. Tests are usually scored by how many questions are correct. C-BL assesses:
- correct answers that are answered with confidence, indicating competency
- correct answers that are answered with doubt
- correct answers that are total guesses, equivalent to no knowledge
- incorrect answers that are answered with confidence, indicating misinformation
According to confidence-based learning, the best time to learn is immediately after a test when doubt and misinformation have been exposed. If confidence-based learning is incorporated into courseware-builder, the speed of learning can be increased dramatically--by as much as 50% or even more.
Archived Knowledge vs. Craftsman
Some knowledge can be stored in books, archives, and museums. Other knowledge must be experienced. Learning about the pyramids, famous artists, and history can be archived. Learning how to lay a foundation for a house, repair a car, or refinish a piece of furniture can not. Some knowledge has to be experienced through hands-on knowledge--seeing, feeling.
The key to all learning will be easy-to-use courseware.
The First Two Steps
Frey sees the first two steps in dramatic change as Courseware Builder and the 60 Minute Learning Experience.
The Courseware Builder will be a fill-in-the-blanks templated process that will carefully step the producers through the design, build, and launch phases of each course.
The 60 Minute Learning Experience will be an international unit of measurement recognized around the globe. Education will measure learning modules around the "hour." They may be 2-hour formats or 5-hour formats, the 60 minute hour will be the basis.
In the next installment, Thomas Frey explains how the courseware units will be funded and how schools will make the transition to this new world of education.
[Source: Thomas Frey, DaVinci Institute, with permission]
Related articles: The Future of Education, Changing Education, Education Roadblocks and Gaps, Education and Society Are Changing, Paradigm Shift in Learning.
Read previous articles on Educational Issues.
Copyright article 2007 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
