备战四级阅读练习：为什么挣扎更好？_大学英语阅读

备战四级阅读练习：为什么挣扎更好？

　　With one group of students, the teacher provided strong scaffolding instructional support and feedback. With the teachers help, these pupils were able to find the answers to their set of problems. Meanwhile, a second group was directed to solve the same problems by collaborating with one another, absent any prompts from their instructor. These students werent able to complete the problems correctly. But in the course of trying to do so, they generated a lot of ideas about the nature of the problems and about what potential solutions would look like. And when the two groups were tested on what theyd learned, the second group significantly outperformed the first.

　　The apparent struggles of the floundering group have what Kapur calls a hidden efficacy: they lead people to understand the deep structure of problems, not simply their correct solutions. When these students encounter a new problem of the same type on a test, theyre able to transfer the knowledge theyve gathered more effectively than those who were the passive recipients of someone elses expertise.

　　In the real world, problems rarely come neatly packaged, so being able to discern their deep structure is key. But, Kapur notes, none of us like to fail, no matter how often Silicon Valley entrepreneurs praise the salutary effects of an idea that flops or a start-up that crashes and burns. So, he says, we need to design for productive failure by building it into the learning process. Kapur has identified three conditions that promote this kind of beneficial struggle. First, choose problems to work on that challenge but do not frustrate. Second, provide learners with opportunities to explain and elaborate on what theyre doing. Third, give learners the chance to compare and contrast good and bad solutions to the problems. And to those students and workers who protest this tough-love teaching style: youll thank me later.