In the realm of corporate learning, the evolution of methodologies is a constant pursuit. One approach that's generating interest is the Productive Failure learning method, particularly in the context of online learning in order to achieve accessibility and scale. This innovative strategy is gaining traction for its potential to empower corporate employees and managers with practical skills.

The Productive Failure model is well-suited for the dynamic nature of contemporary corporate environments. By immersing corporate employees and managers in authentic challenges, it nurtures skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to derive insights from learning through failure. This approach resonates with the essence of the business world, where growth often arises from overcoming setbacks.

To extend these advantages to our customers, we made the deliberate choice to anchor the Simon Says Collaborate platform in the Productive Failure model.

Sequence can create learning opportunities that promote a deeper understanding and transfer of knowledge

For deeper insights into the concept of Productive Failure and the underlying learning science, we sat down with Dr John Vulic. John has a PhD in Education with a research focus on learning design, specifically the application of Productive Failure principles in online learning environments. With extensive experience spanning private, government, and tertiary sectors, he brings a wealth of knowledge from various education, training, and development roles. Currently a lecturer in learning design, John also actively conducts educational research in the field.

Hi, John! To start, can you define Productive Failure for us?

Sure happy to. Productive failure (PF) was first coined by the researcher Manu Kapur in 2008. It is an instructional design approach where the sequence of resources and activities promote learners to persist in attempting to solve complex or novel problems prior to receiving instruction. This concept is antithetical to traditional instructional models that often promote instruction prior to problem solving.

What are the benefits to learning from the Productive Failure model?

Firstly, don't let the term productive failure put you off. The concept of 'failure' has many negative connotations, but PF aims to leverage the learning opportunities that can arise when we build links with our prior knowledge and recognize gaps in our learning. The benefits to learning lie in the sequencing - having learners initially problem-solve and then providing them with instruction.

This sequence can create learning opportunities that promote a deeper understanding and transfer of knowledge. This is achieved by designing problems that activate learners' prior knowledge and build awareness of knowledge gaps. When we try to solve problems in a supportive environment we may find our strategies not working. This is perfectly fine, as it may also lead to increased interest in knowing an effective way of solving the problem, or alternative methods.

This change in affect, or psychological state, may help learners to be receptive to new concepts. This is the opportunity for the instructor to come in, to do what they have always done best - by facilitating learning, explaining the problems and the solutions, and comparing learners' ideas with the correct solutions. With an understanding of the learners' work and ideas, the instructor's role is to help them see what is critical, what works and reasons why. By doing so, instructors are active in helping learners integrate new knowledge with the activated prior knowledge.

How effective is Productive Failure compared with other approaches?

When compared to other instructional approaches, PF has clear cognitive and motivational benefits.

Cognitive Benefits:

1. Learning Depth: PF can lead to a deeper understanding of the material. The initial phase of struggling to solve a problem can activate prior knowledge and make learners more aware of the gaps in their understanding. This can make the subsequent instruction phase more effective.

2. Transferability: Some studies suggest that students taught through PF can better transfer their knowledge to new situations compared to those taught using direct instruction.

Motivational Aspects:

1. Resilience & Grit: Engaging with challenging tasks can help students develop resilience and a growth mindset. They learn that failure is a part of the learning process and can be a stepping stone to success.

2. Engagement: The initial challenge can engage and motivate some learners more than straightforward instruction.

This is how PF differs from other common instructional approaches.

Direct Instruction: Traditional direct instruction provides students with clear and explicit guidance from the start. While it can be very effective, especially for conveying factual knowledge, PF often leads to deeper understanding and better transfer for more complex tasks.

Problem-Based Learning (PBL): PBL, like PF, involves confronting students with problems to solve, but it typically incorporates more scaffolding and support during the problem-solving phase. PF intentionally withholds certain scaffolds to promote initial struggle.

Inquiry-Based Learning: Similar to PBL, inquiry-based learning has students explore and find answers on their own. The key difference is the structure and guidance provided. PF is more structured in its two phases (initial problem-solving followed by explicit instruction).

What are some key considerations when teaching or learning with Productive Failure online, where the teacher isn't actively present?

Teaching or learning with Productive Failure (PF) online, especially when the teacher isn't actively present, poses unique challenges. The absence of immediate, in-person feedback makes it essential to design online PF experiences thoughtfully. It's crucial to strike a balance between letting learners grapple with problems and ensuring they don't feel isolated or excessively frustrated in the virtual environment. However, with the right strategies and tools, it's possible to provide a robust learning experience.

Firstly, it's important to create an encouraging environment where failure is reframed and it's emphasized to learners that mistakes are part of the process. Given that they might not receive real-time feedback, it's crucial to set the right tone from the outset. Other strategies might also include considerations for the design of rich resources and materials in the platform (such as self-paced content, hints and prompts), promoting peer collaboration (such as through discussion boards or peer review), promoting an integration of knowledge (such as through reflection prompts and detailed solutions) and being able to track progress and engagement (such as through analytics and check-ins).

The technological infrastructure, such as the Simon Says Collaborate platform, also plays a very important role.

How is Simon Says Collaborate's platform designed to leverage the Productive Failure approach?

A great feature of this platform is the underlying PF pedagogy has been hard-wired into the design of the platform. This makes it easy for users to design learning sequences using PF, and for learners to benefit from PF activities.

The platform allows learners to interact with the content, simulating real-world problems as closely as possible. It also supports feedback mechanisms, which help students understand where they went wrong.

Simon Says Collaborate puts an emphasis on teaching soft skills, where there is no one right answer. Why is the PF model conducive to this type of learning?

Research in PF has been shown to benefit learning and transfer of knowledge in a variety of content areas and fields with both canonical and non-canonical content.

For content areas such as soft skills, a great benefit of PF is learners gain so much exposure to both viewpoints similar to their own, and alternative viewpoints and ideas during the consolidation instructional phase. This exposure can help them to reinforce existing ideas, challenge conceptions and make connections to new information.

What do you like about Simon Says Collaborate's platform?

Applying new teaching techniques such as PF can be challenging. Educators can worry that they haven't applied the technique correctly, or may face limitations with the tools they are using. This platform addresses both of these challenges with a platform that is easy to use and has been designed with research-based underpinnings.

Thank you, John, for sharing your expertise with us!