The problem this solves
“I coast through a course and forget it in a week. What went wrong?”
Primary keyword: desirable difficulties
What you'll learn
- What 'desirable difficulty' means
- Three signs you've made it too easy
- How to deliberately re-introduce difficulty
- What to keep easy (and what to make hard)
The science behind it: Desirable Difficulties
Desirable difficulties are learning conditions that feel harder in the moment but produce stronger, more durable, more flexible learning than easy conditions.
Why it matters
Choosing difficulties on purpose lets learners exploit struggle as a feature rather than avoiding it as a bug.
How to apply it
- Add spacing, interleaving, and self-testing to study plans on purpose.
- Choose practice material at the edge of current ability, not below it.
- Resist the urge to smooth every difficulty out of the experience.
Common mistakes
- Treating ease as evidence of learning.
- Removing difficulty whenever learners complain.
- Confusing necessary support (scaffolding) with removing all challenge.
Read the full concept: Desirable Difficulties.
Where this fits
Part of module A New Way to Learn.
More articles in this module
- Why You Forget What You Study : how to remember what you study
- Learning Is a Skill, Not a Talent : is learning a skill or a talent
- What Learning Really Is (And Why It Matters) : what is learning
- Learning Styles Are a Myth. Here's What Actually Works : learning styles debunked
- The 'Multiple Intelligences' Idea Is Not What You Think : multiple intelligences myth