Abstract
Chi, Bassok, Lewis, Reimann and Glaser show that self-explanation while studying examples — saying what each step does and why — predicts later problem solving better than rereading.
Chi, M. T. H., Bassok, M., Lewis, M. W., Reimann, P., & Glaser, R. (1989). Cognitive Science, 13(2), 145–182. DOI
Key findings
- Explain while studying — Good learners generate why-statements as they read examples; poor learners reread the steps.
- Appropriation, not display — The learning step is producing the explanation, not owning a cleaner example.
Application
When you let a model draw the exploded view, teach the parts back in speech before you file the image. Pair Exploded-view thinking.