Introduction
Anti-patterns act as roadblocks to effective learning, encompassing practices that hinder your learning progress. When an app notifies you about an anti-pattern, it's offering a better way to utilize the app for improved learning outcomes.
Recognizing Anti-Patterns
Problem Definition: Various anti-patterns related to different learning apps can impede your progress. How do you recognize and avoid them?
Solution Approach: In the following sections, we'll delve into the specifics of these patterns and provide guidance on avoiding them. If you're ever unsure about using an app correctly, consider watching the tutorial video or consulting a coach for guidance.
Notification of Anti-Patterns
Students receive notifications when engaging in behaviors classified as anti-patterns. These alerts include:
- Specific Anti-Pattern Identification: Details of the observed behavior.
- Summary: A succinct overview of the anti-pattern.
- Illustration: A screenshot or visual aid of the behavior. The primary objective of these notifications is to heighten awareness and encourage improvement.
Strategies to Address Anti-Patterns
Upon receiving feedback about anti-patterns, students have several strategies at their disposal:
- Coaching: Seek guidance from mentors to enhance learning habits and techniques.
- Knowledge Base: Utilize knowledge base articles offering tips and strategies for effective learning.
- Support Agents: If additional assistance or clarifications are required, don't hesitate to reach out to support agents.
List of Anti-Patterns
Below is a list of anti-patterns along with explanations and guidance on how to address them effectively:
| App | Anti-pattern name | Why was this anti-pattern triggered? | How to avoid it? |
| IXL | Ignored personalized recommendations | The student ignored skills suggested in the Personalized Recommendations report and worked on other skills. | Only work on skills that are suggested in your Personalized Recommendations report. |
| IXL | Didn't finish lesson before starting new one | The student started a new skill without finishing an in-progress one. | Always finish recommended skills that are in progress before starting new skills. |
| IXL | Did not take IXL Diagnostics when required | The student did not take the IXL Diagnostic on Friday. | Always take the IXL Diagnostic on Fridays to keep your recommendations up to date. If you miss it on Friday, take it at the earliest opportunity. |
| IXL | Rushed with low accuracy | The student spent less than 20 seconds per question and scored below the optimal learning zone (80-100%). | Read the questions carefully, take your time when thinking through the solution, and double-check your answers before submitting them. |
| IXL | Did not work ‘bottom up’ | The student worked on higher-grade skills before mastering recommended skills from lower grades. | Always work on skills from the lowest grades first. You can find the corresponding grade for each skill in your Personalized Recommendation sheet, which is already sorted from lowest to highest grades. |
| IXL | Not taking an assigned quiz | Student was assigned to take a quiz but instead of completing it, they worked on regular skills | When an assigned quiz shows up on the Personalized Recommendations sheet, you should take it before starting to work on any skills. |
| Aleks | Using external tools/applications | The student used external tools to help solve basic arithmetic/math problems. | Depending on the complexity, you should focus on performing the calculations in memory or on a piece of paper. Without that skill, you will encounter difficulties in all scientific subjects. |
| Aleks | Guessing/Rushing | The student did not spend sufficient time (at least 1 minute) per question and achieved low accuracy for the particular topic (less than 70%). | Try to calculate the correct answers to the mathematical problems presented. Use 'Explain' or review the 'Lessons' if you are unsure of the answer. Aleks will reward you with an additional correctly answered questions if you get 2 correct answers in a row! |
| Khan Academy | Excessive starting over | The student used the "Start over" feature on exercises on which they spent over five minutes cumulatively | While Starting over resets your accuracy, you should not have to use this feature if you have mastered the material. Instead of resetting the quiz, learn from your mistakes, review the videos and articles accompanying the unit and reattempt the quiz. |
| Khan Academy | Repeating mastered topics | The student worked on the same exercise that they have previously scored 100% in. | Once you score 100% on an exercise, you cannot achieve any more mastery points by reattempting the exercise. You should move on to solving different exercise so that you actually progress your learning. |
| ReadTheory | Idling | The student was idle in the app for 3 or more minutes without reading passages or solving quizzes | To use your learning session effectively, you should spend your time reading passages and answering quesitons |
| ReadTheory | Not reading explanations | The student skips the in-depth explanations provided by the app for incorrect questions, missing out on learning from their mistakes. | To understand your mistakes and learn from them, you should review the explanation provided by the app. |
| CommonLit | Rushing Guiding Questions | The student skipped guiding questions, resulting in low assessment score. | Read the text carefully and answer the guiding questions to aid your comprehension of the text. |
| NewsELA | Lower Lexile | The student completed an article at lexile level below their target range. | Select the correct article lexile according to your target lexile range. |
| NewsELA | Higher Lexile | The student completed an article at lexile level above their target range, resulting in low quiz score. | Select the correct article lexile according to your target lexile range. |
| Courseware | Not working chronologically | The student did not work on their curriculum items in order, and instead skipped ahead to a different lesson. | Complete the lessons in order, top-to-bottom. |
| Courseware | Advancing without mastery | The student worked on a test they shouldn't have accessed because they haven't met their mastery goals on previous tests. | Make sure you achieve 100% on all the unit's Mastery tests before proceeding to the Post Test, and 90% on a Post Test before beginning a new unit. |
| Courseware | Using external sources | The student was using external sources to find answers for their test questions. | Do not use external sources to answer the questions on your tests. |
| Amplify | Idling | The student was idle (no interaction with the app) for 3 consecutive minutes during a game or activity without doing any work. | Remain focused while working on the app. Being idle for significant periods makes this very difficult, and will negatively impact your ability to learn. |
| Amplify | Guessing/Gaming | The student was found to be rushing through course material without regard to accuracy, or taking the time to learn from their mistakes. This anti-pattern is triggered when a student fails a game twice within 90 seconds. |
Take your time working through games to give yourself the best chance at learning the course material. You must take the time to understand why the questions were answered incorrectly, so that you have a better chance of completing the game in their next attempt. |
Conclusion
Understanding and addressing learning anti-patterns is essential for success. Utilize the strategies provided to enhance your learning process.
FAQ Section
- What are learning anti-patterns? They are behaviors or practices that hinder learning progress.
- How can I address an identified anti-pattern? You can seek coaching, utilize knowledge base articles, or contact support agents.
- What should I do if I receive an anti-pattern notification? Follow the guidelines provided in the notification and consider the strategies outlined in this guide.
