Personal Development
The Black Box Of Learning: Why Students Get Anxious
Jun
“What if I haven’t studied enough?” “What if I get asked a tricky question?” “What if I forget what I studied?” “What if I still have gaps I haven’t found yet?” Well, I tell you that all of these questions arise from the same underlying cause: the black box of learning.
What Is The Black Box?
The term “black box” comes from the field of engineering and refers to a system that can be observed only in terms of its inputs and outputs, without any knowledge of its internal workings. There is often a problem with understanding or observing the internal processes of complex systems, so the term is often used to describe them.
Learning is characterized by the black box effect because learners are not always aware of the learning process. While learners may have a clear understanding of what they are expected to learn and what their learning outcomes should be, they may not fully comprehend the mechanisms by which they are learning. Lack of understanding can result in anxiety and stress for learners, as they may feel as if they are not in control of their own learning and are uncertain how to improve.
The inputs to learning are “time and effort”, and the outputs may be “good exam results” for students in formal education. The anxiety arises when students are unclear about how time and effort make good results possible.
Due to the black box, many students will engage in avoidant behaviors. For example, they may avoid situations in which uncertainties about learning or gaps in knowledge may be exposed for fear of causing anxiety.
- To avoid finding gaps and mistakes in learning, avoid difficult tests
- Avoiding uncertainty by procrastinating
- Social media has become a more willing distraction
- Stress-related disengagement from learning
This is similar to the behaviour of someone who is Enochlophobic (afraid of large crowds of people). Those who suffer from Enochlophobia will avoid parties, gatherings, shops, and other situations where there is a risk of a crowd. This often has significant detrimental health effects.
Opening The Box
Metacognition is the key to opening the black box.
When learners are metacognitive, they are able to monitor their own learning, identify areas where they need more assistance, and adjust their learning strategies accordingly. They are able to monitor their own learning and identify areas that require additional support. Anxiety and stress can be reduced and learners can feel more in control of their own learning.
Students often feel anxious, and for good reason. As they lack assurance their approach will yield good outcomes, there is a genuine risk of doing poorly. Understandably, they worry about what might happen if they fail. While it is important to help manage the stress so as not to harm mental health, this does not alter the fact that they are unable to control their performance.
Formative assessment is another way to open the black box. It provides feedback on learners’ learning, enabling them to understand how they are performing and where additional support is needed. By doing so, learners can reduce anxiety and stress and feel more in control of their own learning.
Many learners dread formative assessments. If they have fixed mindsets about success and failure, a bad mark may not be helpful and only trigger further anxiety.
A formative assessment is valuable only if the learner is able to make adjustments based on the information. If the learner does not know how to improve their situation, more information does not help.
Unless you know about engines and cars, a car’s engine light only tells you that “something” is wrong. Though the light does tell you that something is wrong, unless you are able to fix it, it will only add to your anxiety.
In conclusion
It is possible for learners to feel stressed and anxious due to the black box effect of learning. Through the use of formative assessment and other strategies, learners can feel more in control of their own learning and reduce anxiety and stress by encouraging metacognition and opening the black box. In order to become more effective and efficient learners, learners need to understand how they learn and have control over their own learning.
