Fostering “Light Bulb Moments” Through Structurally Balanced Assignments

 by Megan Seibel & Curt Friedel -- 

As educators, it is thrilling to witness a student’s AHA!, the proverbial “light bulb” moment. We see it when ideas are generated, connected, developed, executed, and shared. Some are on point, some seem tangential, but all are valuable.

 

The way in which our course content is designed and delivered has a direct impact on our students’ engagement and learning.

 

In developing assignments, establishing expectations for success in those assignments, and creating opportunities for input, feedback and growth, it is important to consider how we engage in these activities. Many of us may not stop to think about our own preferences in how these are structured when we develop them, and whether or not that is in alignment with our students’ needs and preferences.

 

Adaption-Innovation Continuum of Creative Style 

As human beings, we are each hardwired in the WAY in which we prefer to generate ideas, utilize structure to implement those ideas, and respond to rules and group norms. According to Adaption-Innovation Theory, an individual’s cognitive preferences fall on a continuum of being more adaptive or more innovative in their style of solving problems. More adaptive individuals tend to prefer more structure and generate new ideas within paradigms with keen attention to details. More innovative individuals may overlook or disrupt structures, generating ideas outside the paradigm with focus on broader notions. It takes a wide diversity of style to solve complex problems, which means that there is no ideal style or one that is better than another. Leveraging our cognitive differences is powerful in communicating effectively to manage change!


Problem solving style is in no way correlated with intelligence, experience, knowledge, or achievement. The WAY in which we operationalize our cognitive problem solving style is completely different than how WELL we will resolve a challenge before us.

 

When it comes to assignments, the structure related to how it is described, what the product needs to look like, and how it will be graded may also be more adaptive or innovative in nature. Think of two very different examples:

  1. Watch a video (that the instructor has chosen) related to the topic discussed in this unit (also assigned). Compare and contrast the video and the reading. In your response, use at least 3 (but no more than 5) points to illustrate: a) how it similar and, b) how it is different. Your total response should be between 750-1000 words. [Of course, there would then be a very specific rubric with points assigned for whether or not they met the requirement for number of illustrated points, theses statements, length (word count), grammar, citations, etc.]
  2. Watch a video of your choice related to a topic discussed in this unit. Write a free response paper describing what you have learned.

Although this is an arbitrary example, and there may be more or less description added to either version of it, you can quickly see the differences. You may also be able to imagine how different students will respond to such an assignment! We know that all structures are enabling to some and limiting to others.

 

More adaptive individuals see the value of structure and may thrive on those parameters. The more information and detail they have to know what to expect and how to proceed is empowering and offers a starting place with benchmarks for success. In example #1, more adaptive students may hit the ground running. More innovative, on the other hand, may feel stressed by the expectations, and potentially constrained in feeling obligated to meet them.

 

More innovative individuals may be stimulated by opportunities that seem a bit more ambiguous and open-ended. The ability to have more flexible guidelines can be empowering. Although they may have some questions about the assignment, a description like example #2 may give more innovative students a chance to explore ideas freely, where it may feel stressful and handicapping to a more adaptive student. 


Chances are, you as an instructor found yourself responding more preferably to one of these examples over the other. As educators, it is our responsibility to challenge ourselves to look objectively at our course assignments, presentation style, and expectations for success. If they are noticeably more adaptive or innovative in design, it will be worth adjusting some of them to balance out over the duration of a course. When students have a “cognitive style gap” with an assignment (or even with other students in group work), they may be limited compared to students that may be inadvertently enabled by the same assignments – simply because of the way they are structured.


Further reading on addressing cognitive style in the classroom is available online:


 When we are trying to perpetuate learning, measure knowledge gain, and give students an opportunity to express themselves, the structure of an assignment is critical to consider.


Balancing how empowered or constrained someone feels in the WAY ideas are generated and implemented will provide better insight into how MUCH they are learning!

 


References:

Friedel, C. & Seibel, M. (2013). The Paradox of structure: What is the appropriate amount of structure for course assignments with regard to students’ problem-solving styles? Proceedings of the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Conference.

Robinson, D. F., Sherwood, A. L., & DePaolo, C. A. (2010). Using adaption-innovation theory to enhance problem-based learning experiences. Allied Academies International Internet Conference, 12.


Image Credits:

Coartney, J. (June 9, 2022). KAI Tendencies. [Graphic created for this blog post.]

Fahmy, A. (August 30, 2019). Sunlight. [Image of lightbulb]. https://unsplash.com/photos/_gEKtyIbRSM

Kilicay-Ergin, N. H., & Jablokow, K. W. (2012). Problem-solving variability in cognitive architectures. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part C (Applications and Reviews), 42(6), 1231–1242. https://doi.org/10.1109/TSMCC.2012.2201469. [Adaption-Innovation Continuum. Used with permission.]

Menashri, E. (August 31, 2021). Level [Modified from original]. https://unsplash.com/photos/zfVIh4cX_4c

Seibel, M. (n.d.). Cognitive style wordle with embedded lightbulb. 


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