Self-explain each step as you work through an example

Pause after each step in a worked example and explain to yourself, in your own words, why that step was taken.

Why it works

Self-explanation is the mechanism that converts a passive reading of an example into active schema construction. When a learner explains a step to themselves, they must integrate the step with prior knowledge, identify what rule or principle it instantiates, and detect gaps in their own understanding. Research by Chi and colleagues showed that high-self-explainers learn substantially more from the same examples than low-self-explainers, even controlling for study time.

How to do it

1. Cover or close your notes after reading each step in an example.
2. Say or write out loud: "This step makes sense because [principle/rule]. I know that because [prior knowledge]."
3. If you cannot explain a step, mark it as a gap and revisit it — that is exactly where a schema is missing.
4. Do not move to the next step until you can explain the current one without looking.

Evidence

Chi, Bassok, Lewis, Reimann & Glaser (1989) showed that students who spontaneously self-explained while studying worked examples substantially outperformed those who did not, on both near and far transfer tests. Self-explanation training has since been validated in multiple contexts. (rct)

Self-explanation imposes some extra time cost upfront; learners under severe time pressure may partially short-circuit it, reducing but not eliminating the effect.

Sources

• Chi et al. (1989), Self-explanations: How students study and use examples in learning to solve problems, Cognitive Science

Common mistake

Explaining the steps descriptively ("then it multiplies by 2") rather than principally ("it multiplies by 2 because the target unit requires squaring the linear measure"), which records procedure rather than building schema.