Expectations and Explanations in Learning by Teaching

• In Event: Preservice Teachers as Both Learners and Teachers

Abstract

Four experiments sought to disentangle the relative benefits of preparing to teach (i.e., teaching expectancy) and actually teaching (i.e., explaining to others) on learning. Participants studied a paper-based multimedia lesson on the Doppler Effect with the expectation of teaching or being tested on the material; some participants actually taught the material (by providing a video-recorded lecture), whereas others only studied the lesson. Participants then completed a comprehension test either immediately or following a one-week delay. Results consistently indicated that while preparing to teach leads to short-term learning benefits, the act of teaching coupled with preparing to teach is critical for fostering generative processing necessary for long-term learning.

Authors

• Logan Fiorella, University of California, Santa Barbara

• Richard E. Mayer, University of California - Santa Barbara