Snorkel or Scuba?
Sometimes learning can be a lot like snorkeling. We hover just at the surface of the ocean and we can see just one limited, superficial view that “skims the surface” of the content. This is when a student knows how to use a formula to solve a specific type of problem, but doesn’t understand why the formula works or how to use the formula to solve a variety of related problems. This happens a lot when students are really just memorizing for an upcoming test and then forget the material within a week or can’t apply what they learned to more complex test questions.
Surface learning is not bad in and of itself, but it can’t be where the learning stops. Memorizing facts and details without deeper understanding creates a shaky foundation and we learn by building a bridge from our prior knowledge to what we just learned. And we have a lot of kids with shaky foundations who are snorkeling along right now. They’re used to passively listening to someone else think out loud and synthesize concepts for them. They’re used to getting answers quickly and easily or giving up and just making a quick guess because there’s not really time for them to think, question, and dig in anyway. This can’t be what learning feels like for our kids. We wonder why academic achievement is stagnant or falling across so many measures…this is one big piece of the why.
Scuba diving starts at the ocean’s surface and then explores the depths of the ocean, so the experience is immersive and more comprehensive. We see this deeper learning when students understand content and strategies to the point where they can teach someone else. They spend time thinking critically about ideas, creating their own solutions, and work on tasks that are just beyond their current understanding. They’re not just memorizing for a test, but stretching to build a solid conceptual foundation that sets them up for success when the next related topic comes up in class.
Deep learning happens when students move beyond just completing a task to an expectation for themselves that they will deeply understand. To move from surface to deep learning, students must actively engage, put forth effort, and practice. They self-monitor understanding and ask questions to clarify, and there’s space for thinking in between a question and an answer. And every time they move from understanding that feels muddy to understanding that feels clear, they become a little more confident in their own abilities to learn.
We’re not talking about just throwing kids overboard to struggle through frustrational tasks here. Keep in mind that we have two big jobs as adults: provide challenging, rigorous learning experiences and equip kids with a skillset to persevere through the challenge. That self-monitoring understanding that I mentioned earlier? Kids can’t self-monitor if they aren’t particularly self-aware to begin with…we need to model and teach those skills. And taking the step to ask a question in class when every teacher is busy? When there are 4 minutes between classes? It takes initiative, social awareness, and self-advocacy. We need to model and teach those skills, too. Is social-emotional learning a nice little add-on? No, it’s an essential thread through every academic opportunity because it’s the skill set that enables kids to chase deeper learning for themselves.
Since learning is often measured through test scores, know that the higher standardized test scores DO follow. Kids who know for themselves that effort creates ability expect themselves to do the work. Not only do they learn the content more deeply in the first place, but they are used to the persistence and stamina that it takes to perform well on a standardized test. These kids are the last to finish during the four-hour STAAR testing window, but they consistently perform their best because they know how to work hard.
A kid who knows how deep understanding feels, the effort it takes to scuba dive rather than just snorkel, and consistently self-monitors understanding…that’s pretty much the secret sauce for a lifelong learner. And authentic, confident learners who know how to dig in and do the work are virtually unstoppable.
