## Key Ideas > [!abstract] Core Concepts > > - Learning requires active cognitive processing, not passive information absorption (Fiorella & Mayer, 2015) > - Students must select, organise, and integrate information with prior knowledge > - Eight learning strategies promote generative activity: summarising, mapping, drawing, imagining, self-testing, self-explaining, teaching, enacting > - Quality of engagement matters more than time spent studying ## Definition Generative learning is the active cognitive processing where students select relevant information, organise it into coherent structures, and integrate it with prior knowledge, requiring learners to produce outputs (summaries, explanations, diagrams) rather than passively receive information. ## Connected to [[Retrieval Practice]] | [[Self-Explanation Effect]] | [[Elaboration Theory]] | [[Prior Knowledge]] | [[practice]] | [[Memory]] --- ## The generative learning framework Learning is not passive information absorption. The mind is not a passive consumer of information. Learners must actively process material through three cognitive processes: 1. Selecting relevant information from presented material 2. Organising it into coherent mental structures 3. Integrating with [[Prior Knowledge|prior knowledge]] Passive activities like highlighting and re-reading prove less effective than generative strategies. The difference lies in the cognitive processing required. Generative strategies force deeper engagement with content. ## Eight generative learning strategies ### Summarising Writing summaries in own words forces selection of important information, requires organisation of ideas, and integrates information into coherent whole. Summarising proves more effective than re-reading (Fiorella & Mayer, 2015). Effective summarising involves identifying main ideas rather than details, condensing information whilst preserving meaning, and expressing content in different words from original. ### Mapping Creating concept maps or knowledge maps uses spatial arrangement to show relationships. Nodes represent concepts. Links show relationships between concepts. Mapping helps visualise knowledge structure. Maps make connections explicit rather than leaving them implied. Students must decide which concepts are central and which are peripheral. The process of creating the map generates learning, not just the final product. ### Drawing Creating drawings to represent content can be illustrations, diagrams, or sketches. Drawing combines visual and verbal processing and proves particularly effective for spatial or process content (Fiorella & Mayer, 2015). Drawing while learning proves more effective than viewing others' drawings. The generative activity occurs during creation. Students must decide what to include and how to represent it visually. ### Imagining Mentally visualising content involves imagining how processes work and creating mental images of concepts. Imagining proves effective when actual drawing is impractical. It engages similar cognitive processes as drawing without requiring physical materials. Prompts like "imagine how this works" or "picture this in your mind" can guide students. The mental imagery requires processing information deeply rather than simply reading words. ### Self-testing Retrieving information from memory through practice tests, flashcards, or self-quizzing strengthens memory. [[Retrieval Practice|Retrieval practice]] identifies gaps in knowledge. Self-testing proves more effective than repeated studying. The act of retrieval itself enhances learning, not just the feedback received. Students should test themselves frequently during study, not wait until they feel ready. Errors during testing identify what needs further study. ### Self-explaining Explaining material to oneself includes asking why something makes sense and how new information relates to prior knowledge. Self-explaining prompts deep processing and makes gaps in understanding visible. Prompts like "explain this to yourself" or "how does this connect to what you already know?" guide the process. The [[Self-Explanation Effect|self-explanation effect]] shows that generating explanations enhances learning more than reading explanations. ### Teaching Preparing to teach material to someone else forces deep processing and organisation. Actually teaching the material requires clear explanation and identifies gaps in own understanding. Students expecting to teach show better learning than those expecting tests. The preparation requires organising knowledge for explanation rather than simple recall. Teaching others provides practice at explanation and immediate feedback on clarity. ### Enacting Physical manipulation of objects and acting out processes produces embodied learning. Movement aids [[Memory|memory]] encoding and proves particularly effective for procedural knowledge. Enacting engages motor systems alongside cognitive processing. Physical experience with concepts makes them more concrete. Particularly valuable for processes and procedures that involve movement or sequence. ## Cognitive processes underlying strategies All eight strategies require selecting important information from presented material. Students cannot summarise, map, or explain without first identifying what matters. Mapping, drawing, and summarising especially require organising information into coherent structures. Students must decide how pieces fit together and which connections are meaningful. Self-explaining, imagining, and teaching particularly promote integration with [[Prior Knowledge|prior knowledge]]. These strategies explicitly require connecting new information to existing understanding. Different strategies suit different content types. Drawing works well for processes and spatial relationships. Mapping suits conceptual relationships. Self-testing supports factual knowledge. Teachers should match strategy to content and combine strategies for cumulative effect. ## Implementation in teaching Students need explicit instruction in these strategies (Fiorella & Mayer, 2015). Simply telling students to "study" doesn't ensure they use effective methods. Strategies should be taught in context of specific content, not as generic skills. Teachers can model strategies during instruction. Think aloud while summarising. Create concept maps collaboratively. Demonstrate self-explanation. Make the strategies visible before expecting independent use. Provide structured opportunities for practice. Include time for summarising key points. Have students create diagrams during instruction. Build in self-explanation prompts. Design activities requiring teaching peers. Different content types benefit from different strategies. Procedural skills benefit from enacting and self-testing. Conceptual understanding benefits from mapping and self-explaining. Complex processes benefit from drawing and imagining. Teachers should select appropriate strategies for learning objectives. Students should explain material in their own words, not memorise verbatim. Quality of engagement matters more than time spent studying. Five minutes of self-explanation proves more valuable than thirty minutes of passive re-reading. > [!tip] Implications for teaching > > - **Teach learning strategies explicitly**: students don't naturally adopt effective methods > - **Model strategies during instruction**: think aloud whilst summarising, create maps collaboratively > - **Match strategies to content**: drawing for processes, mapping for concepts, self-testing for facts > - **Combine strategies**: cumulative effect exceeds individual strategies > - **Use self-testing throughout learning**: not just for assessment > - **Preparing to teach** is itself powerful learning strategy > - **Physical manipulation aids** learning procedural skills through embodied cognition > - **Require explanation in own words**: not memorisation or repetition of textbook language > - **Quality of engagement matters** more than time spent studying ## References Fiorella, L., & Mayer, R. E. (2015). Eight ways to promote generative learning. *Educational Psychology Review*, 28, 717-741.