Worked-example effect
[2][page needed] This view is supported by experimental findings comparing a faded worked-example procedure and a well-supported problem-solving approach.
[7]: 259 Further limitations of the classical worked-example method include "focusing on one single correct solution and on algorithmic skill domains".
[2][page needed] Addressing such restrictions in multimedia learning environments remains an area of active research.
[2][page needed] Studying worked examples is an effective instructional strategy to teach complex problem-solving skills.
[9][page needed] This is because example-based instruction provides expert mental models to explain the steps of a solution for novices.
[15][page needed][16] Sweller and Cooper had developed worked examples as a means of limiting problem solving search.
In the experiment, students that were presented with worked examples needed less learning time to obtain the procedural skill and conceptual understanding of geometry.
[24][page needed] As Wise and O'Neill point out, this is not to say additional guidance will never lead to learning gains; it simply cannot be assumed it always will.
[30] Animated demonstrations are useful because this multimedia presentation combines the worked example and modality effects within a single instructional strategy.
Since worked-out examples include the steps toward reaching the solution, they can only be used in skill domains where algorithms can be applied (mathematics, physics, programming, etc.).
[2][page needed] For creative pursuits such as interpreting poems, or learning contexts where there is an infinite number of potential confounding factors such as conflict resolution, effective leadership, or multicultural communication, solution steps are more difficult to describe and worked-out examples may not be the most effective instructional method.
Worked examples help to direct the learner's attention to what needs to be studied as well as developing literacy skills.
They serve as a guide to prepare novice learners for effective problem solving after gaining an understanding of any concept under consideration.
This is based on how a novice or expert learner structures his or her learning schemas — knowing the appropriate procedure/approach to use in retrieving and interpreting the problem.
[33] The worked examples model is one of several strong cognitive-instruction techniques with great importance that help teachers foster learning.
It is an application principle that significantly enhances novice learners' patterns of knowledge acquisition in the contexts of authentic problem solving.
[34][page needed] In addition, Spiro, Feltovich, Jacobson, & Coulson affirmed that providing a wide range of examples (and having students emulate examples) that illustrate multiple strategies and approaches to similar problems helps foster broad knowledge transfer and "cognitive flexibility".
[35][page needed] The instructional model of example-based learning by Renkl and Atkinson suggests that students gain a deeper understanding of domain principles when they receive worked examples at the beginning of cognitive skill acquisition.
