While the contents of this article can be applied to education in a general sense, my perspective comes from teaching programming to novices in a lecture environment.
The problem: "Hm, okay" is not "I get it"
One of the hardest tasks assigned to the student in an instructor-student relationship is the task of realizing when they don't understand a concept. Similarly, one of the hardest tasks assigned to the instructor is the task of creating notes and examples that make a lack of understanding overwhelmingly clear to the student. In other words, instructors have to challenge students in such a way that, when presented with quality examples, their (potential) lack of understanding causes them to realize "Oh, I thought I understood that concept, but I guess I don't". This provides an opportunity for the student to ask questions and cement their understanding of the concept.
Failure to confront students' gaps in understanding is the easiest way to ensure a poor foundation in programming concepts. Educational content that fails to adequately question students' understanding of the content leads to the "Hm, okay" problem.
The "Hm, okay" problem
The "Hm, okay" problem can be defined as students' tendencies to mistake a lack of complete confusion for solid understanding. It's why students in classrooms say things like "I understood everything in class but couldn't even do the first problem on the homework assignment!"
The student will believe that since they were able to follow along with the content, they must have understood it. As a direct consequence, whenever the instructor discusses a concept the student does not grasp while believing they do, the student will think "Hm, okay, that makes sense" (or something similar) and move on without asking for help or clarification.
How could we expect them to ask for help? They don't know that they don't know.
A lack of questions is just as dangerous as too many questions
Instructors should expect the number of questions from the students in class to be proportional to the complexity of the concept being discussed. While this may seem obvious, here's where the direct application comes in: If the instructor introduces a complex concept to the class for the first time, such as a for-loop, a lack of questions most likely does not mean that everyone instantly understood all the major components of a for-loop.
In reality, the lack of questions most likely means the class has not been confronted with the nuances of the subject matter at hand. The class is not "confused", but now the instructor must learn how well the class understands the subject. It's of course possible that the class truly did manage to master a concept quickly, and enjoy those moments when they come! Congratulate the class on such an accomplishment. Appreciate the rarity of the moment. But, in my opinion, it is much more beneficial to the students to lean towards skepticism.
There are many approaches to quickly evaluating the understanding of the students in class before moving on. Some examples are
- In class individual exercises
- short hand-written quizzes
- completing exercises together as a class
- altering previous examples to emphasize subtleties
The instructor must do what they can to make their students scratch their heads and be confronted with the gaps in their understanding before they work on assignments outside of class. This is key to avoiding disappointment and frustration from the student.
If a student is confronted with their confusion during the lecture, they will most likely understand that their confusion is simply a part of the learning process. Additionally, their confusion can be instantly addressed and negated. However, If a student is confronted with their confusion once they believed they already understood the subject matter, they are much more likely to experience disappointment or frustration.