When you go to do your homework (reading & problem-set)…

1. Start with a homework problem first, not the reading.
2. Read only if you need to. Read only what you need.
3. Then get back to the problem and solve it.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM-SOLVING SANDWICH?

Read-Then-Solve: A Bad Idea

Unfortunately, many students do their homework using the read-then-solve strategy—they read the entire assigned reading, then start on the problem set.  This may make for reading more than you need and likely zoning out while you’re reading. Read-then-solve is often wasteful and boring. You may ask, “But don’t I need to understand the concepts first?” I ask in reply, “Do you read-then-solve in real life?”

The Problem-Solving Sandwich – What You Do in Real Life

In this “real world” scenario, suppose you are writing a report on a Word document, and run into trouble with the formatting. Say it is a problem with making bulleted lists in Word. You have a problem you intend to solve. Here are two strategies you can use. Which is best?

Strategy 1: Read-Then-Solve

1. Read an entire chapter on formatting in Microsoft Word
2. Attempt to solve the bulleting problem

Strategy 2: Use the Problem-Solving Sandwich

1. Attempt to solve the problem with what you know. For example, you might right-click and see if any of the options make sense.
2. If can’t figure it out, THEN search for a solution to your specific problem. For example, you might google “how to make bullets in word for mac 2011”
3. As soon as you have what you think you need from whatever reading you find, get back to the Word doc and solve the problem.

It’s a sandwich—see?

Staff Writer: Nicholas Santascoy, Learning Instructor

Take-Away: For better grades and more intellectual growth, consider spending at least 6 hours across a week cracking your brain on your p-sets before the TA explains it all at recitation.

The 6-Hour Minimum

• Unfortunately, many students give up too soon on their problem sets before getting the answers at recitation.
• By putting in sufficient hours trying to solve problems, you will be engaged in active learning of the concepts the professor has identified as key to the course.
• For most students, 1-2 hours a week of this kind of active learning won’t cut it. Even 4-5 probably won’t.
• 6 hours is a minimum that is also likely to fit with the other demands on your time.

So try 6 hours a week, in 60-90 minute chunks.

• For example:

Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Relax!	11-12:30 PM:	7-9:30 PM:		7-9:30 PM:	7-9:30 PM:	10-11:00 AM:
	Problem-solving	Problem-Solving		Problem-Solving	Problem-Solving	Recitation

Why a Minimum of 6 Hours?

• Some learning instructors recommend at least 6 hours a week to their students because, for many students, this represents an increase in time that substantially improves conceptual grasp of key course ideas.
• The idea of improving your learning by spending more time on problems is consistent with a robust literature on expertise.¹ The superiority of some performers over others is a predictable result of more hours on deliberate practice.¹ This is true in athletic, musical, and intellectual pursuits. ¹
• Deliberate practice is working hard on difficult skills that are central to your area of mastery. ¹
• What fits the definition of deliberate practice better—working problems, or listening to answers?

What’s the point of working for 6 hours on problems I’m not solving?

• The point is that you are still learning when working on the problem, even when you are not solving it!²

But the TA will explain it clearly. Why not wait?

• No doubt difficult concepts make more sense as or after they are explained. However, the instructor’s question will not be, “Do you understand these ideas as they are explained?”
• The question will be, “When I give you a new and more complex problem than you’ve seen so far, can you solve it? Under time pressure?”
• Can you confidently answer, “yes!”?
• If you want to be more confident that you can answer “yes” to that question, try putting in six hours across a week on your p-sets before recitation. See if the conceptual learning you attain gives you reason for greater confidence.

But what if I don’t have 6 hours?

• Then spend as many hours as you can before seeking help.  And maybe consult with a Learning Instructor to explore your use of time.

References:

1. Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T., & Tesch-Römer, C. (1993). The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychological Review, 100(3), 363.
2. Richland, L. E., Kornell, N., & Kao, L. S. (2009). The pretesting effect: Do unsuccessful retrieval attempts enhance learning? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 15(3), 243–257. http://doi.org/10.1037/a0016496

by Nicholas Santascoy, Learning Specialist