Ideas
Before getting into the ideas for learning plateaus, take a look at Belcher’s Model for Learning. Please work through the model, thinking about the learning process of learning as described by the model.
[For a much deeper discussion about the entire Model for Learning, read this essay: That’s How Learning Works?!?! A Comprehensive Model for Understanding the Learning Process.]
What are learning plateaus?
Learning plateaus are periods when progress seems to stall.
Though we naïvely expect learning to happen in a straight line up and to the right, we often experience times where we feel stuck. Despite continuing to put in effort, we seem to not make progress — causing us to feel like we are in a learning plateau. Experiencing a learning plateau can be frustrating and demotivating, making us question many parts of the learning process: Why am I doing this? What am I doing wrong? What the %#^$@ is happening?
The good news is that learning plateaus are a natural and necessary part of the learning process, so we can turn the learning plateaus into an advantage.
Why do learning plateaus happen?
Learning plateaus can happen for a few different reasons.
(Although this is a bit of a generalization, I’m using beginner, intermediate, and expert as the stages of learning.)
For beginners, the biggest issue is creating a solid conceptual model for the big ideas. Beginners can get stuck focusing too much on the small details, which causes them to miss the big ideas; by missing the connection between new small details and the big ideas, they waste time and energy. Beginners can also become stuck in their application, only applying in ways that will cause them to succeed. By not pushing themselves out of their comfort zone, beginners limit their rate of learning and get into a learning plateau.
For intermediates, an issue is not taking enough time to connect and organize the big ideas and smaller details. Intermediates have a solid set of foundational conceptual models, but can become lost when presented with new experiences; by taking the time to connect new details to their existing conceptual models, intermediates continue to grow. Also, intermediates get stuck when they do not have a consistent schedule for application. No consistency leads to forgetting the connections and organization, making the intermediate have to use time to relearn — creating a learning plateau.
For experts, the biggest issue is a lack of novel applications. Experts have a robust and strongly interconnected set of conceptual models, plus have seen the routine application many, many times. Continuing to grow at any stage requires the use of conceptual models in novel applications, but staying comfortable and not challenging themselves causes experts to find themselves in a learning plateau.
How can we break through learning plateaus?
Though learning plateaus are not fun, we can use the learning plateaus — at any stage of learning — to drive our learning forward.
For Beginners:
Find big ideas in the topic, then focus the creation of your conceptual models on the big ideas. As you solidify the big ideas and find smaller details, connect the small details to the big ideas — which expands your conceptual models.
Know that your working memory will be overloaded initially, making practice and performance challenging. As you continue to develop the conceptual models, your working memory will be less overloaded — which allows you to see more detail in the practice and performances.
Manage the practice and performance, creating a balance between the fundamental big ideas and pushing yourself. Use the fundamental big ideas as a reminder of what is important, then push yourself to experiment with the ideas.
For Intermediates:
You have a solid set of conceptual models, but there are gaps. To address the gaps, take time to connect and organize conceptual models — both for the big ideas and supporting details. Think through the implications of individual parts and the connecting whole, noting the similarities and differences between the parts and whole.
Create a consistent routine for practice and performance, reviewing important conceptual models and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone. Analyze the practice or performance for trends, which is another way to find gaps in your conceptual models.
With a strong set of conceptual models, your more of your working memory is available during practice and performance. Use this space to analyze in real time, using the real-time feedback to adjust technique or tactics.
For Experts:
Find novel applications that are outside of your comfort zone, bringing you challenge. These novel applications do not need to be directly in your field of expertise; instead, they can be in adjacent fields. Understanding the relationship between your field and adjacent fields will give you a different perspective, which you can then use to sharpen your ideas.
When practicing or performing routine tasks, challenge yourself to be perfect. Can you do the task with full concentration for the entire time, making every right decision? Use the routine tasks to keep yourself sharp for the novel applications, plus remember the fundamentals.
Teach to those in every stage: Beginners, to remember the big ideas; Intermediates, to remember the connections and organization; and other experts, to sharpen your ideas and discuss novel applications.
For Learners in Every Stage:
Seek out feedback through a few different areas: Get input from new coaches and teachers; use methods for self-assessment; focus on different aspects of practice or performance to your expand conceptual models. This feedback keeps you honest about the state of your conceptual models, helping you understand where to go next.
Take strategic breaks (including a high amount of sleep!), allowing time for your brain to consolidate the knowledge and skills in the conceptual models. Unrelated activities — especially those that are relaxing — help with diffuse thinking, which allows your brain to make long-distance connections between ideas. By taking strategic breaks, you can return with a fresh perspective and break through the learning plateau.
By shifting our perspective on learning plateaus from a failure to a natural and necessary part of learning, we can emerge from the learning plateau with renewed vigor and motivation!
Stories
We all have stories about learning plateaus; here are a couple of mine.
Story 1: After completing my Master’s in education I taught for a while, using the ideas from the program and other ideas from my colleagues to improve as a teacher. I had a decent grasp on many of the big ideas, but the transition from a beginning teacher to an intermediate teacher was challenging. To make the transition, I needed to do a bunch of reflection on my understanding of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. This reflection was not easy, but I did some on my own — then forced myself to do more by enrolling and completing a doctoral program in education. The doctoral program was great because the dissertation was an action research study, meaning that I did a study on my own teaching practices. Doing a massive amount of thinking and reflecting in the dissertation work led me on the path through the intermediate stage and into the expert stage of teaching, plus helped me see the gaps in my conceptual models for teaching. One gap was around learning — how do people actually learn? This question seems to be a gap for many educators and coaches, which has made me want to create The Learning Engine and share ideas on learning!
Story 2: Although I learned to swim at a young age, I did not learn the proper technique for swimming stokes. This has served me well through most of my life, but I’ve wanted to use swimming as fitness in the last couple of years. After floundering in the water for a bunch of sessions — looking like a drowning animal (haha) — I decided to improve my conceptual models for swimming and hire an actual coach. The coach was amazing, helping me understand how to properly swim the techniques; my swimming improved right away. I’ve continued to swim with the coach’s ideas, but I’ve hit a learning plateau with my swimming. At this point I have a couple of options: Continue to swim as I know how; or, hire another coach, watch a bunch of videos on technique, and try to get better. Given the constraints with a family and work, I’m choosing to stay in the learning plateau — but I have the tools to move out of the learning plateau when I’m ready. Circumstances sometimes cause us to hit learning plateaus, but this is okay! The point is to know how to get out of the learning plateau when you are ready, making progress when the time is right.
Questions
How do you define a learning plateau?
When was the last time you experienced a learning plateau?
What stage of learning were you in when you experienced the learning plateau?
What were your emotions during the learning plateau?
How did you get out of the learning plateau?
How much do you agree or disagree with the ways we get into a learning plateau?
How much do you agree or disagree with the ways we get out of a learning plateau?
Learning happens when we share what we are thinking, so I would love to hear your answers! Also, you can use these questions as conversations starters with friends and family — hearing their answers and having a conversation would be great!
Further Readings
Want more information about learning? Check out The Principles of Learning course (the same information, with different levels of feedback):
Self-directed course — No feedback / all videos and readings / certificate of completion
Graduate course through Fresno Pacific University — Graded feedback / all videos and readings / three hours of graduate credit upon completion
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