Productive Failure by Prof Manu Kapur

If learning from failure is intuitively compelling, why don’t we intentionally design for and bootstrap it for learning? My research on Productive Failure (PF) aims for precisely that by engaging students in solving novel, complex problems that target concepts they have not learnt yet. Invariably, students are unable to solve the problem correctly. However, to the extent students are able to generate and explore multiple representations and solutions even if the solutions are suboptimal or incorrect, the process prepares them to learn subsequent instruction. Through concrete examples of how PF works, I will illustrate the underlying learning mechanisms of PF, together with evidence from experimental and quasi-experimental studies demonstrating the efficacy of PF in developing deep conceptual knowledge and transfer. We will finish with a group discussion of implications for theory and practice.