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Self-Explanation
Explain concepts to yourself in your own words to deepen understanding and identify gaps.
Understanding20-25 min
The Science Behind It
Self-explanation forces learners to make implicit knowledge explicit, integrate new information with prior knowledge, and identify inconsistencies in understanding. This activates deeper cognitive processing.
How It Works
Understanding the cognitive mechanisms
- 1Verbalizing forces complete understanding
- 2Integrates new and prior knowledge
- 3Reveals misconceptions and gaps
- 4Creates personalized mental models
Practical Implementation
Step-by-step guide to apply this technique
Key Benefits
What you'll gain from mastering this technique
- Deepens conceptual understanding
- Improves problem-solving ability
- Identifies misconceptions early
- Creates lasting comprehension
Supporting Research
Scientific evidence backing this technique
Self-explanation improved problem-solving by 40%
Chi et al., 1989 - Cognitive Science
Explaining to oneself enhances learning across domains
Rittle-Johnson, 2006 - Cognition and Instruction