Induction: the Art of Backing In
The goal of any educational environment must be to challenge learners to continuously gain “new power over difficulty.” The most important term here is challenge.
We challenge learners when we require them to answer a question, apply a strategy, or solve a problem that is a little more complex than what they are used to. The academic term for this is rigor– the extent to which instruction and content compel the learner to use higher level thinking skills such as application, synthesis or evaluation.
The traditional model in schools is for the teacher to teach a new concept or skill, and then to provide the students with an opportunity to practice with guidance. Finally, they are provided the chance to do the work independently.
Highly effective teachers will often use a different - more inductive approach. Students will be encouraged to struggle with a question or a problem – to ask questions or generate ideas. They might even develop solutions or explanations. Those solutions are then compared and contrasted. Finally, the different answers are decomposed in a manner that evaluates the quality of thinking. It is at this point that the new concept or skill can be introduced.
Working as facilitator rather than expert, the teacher challenges the learners in a manner that supports their autonomy, evokes their natural curiosity, and couches the new concept in a bed of relevance.