The Dynamic Interplay Between Confidence and the Four Stages of Learning

(??Tip: To get the most out of this article quickly, check all the graphs and images first.)

Let's begin with a fundamental question: Have you ever thought about how your confidence changes before and after you get good at something new? Imagine how confident you were when you first tried riding a bike ??, learning to drive ??, performing on stage ???? for the first time, or starting at a new school, college, or job. Think about that initial "hello world" computer program you wrote – how unsure you felt compared to how easily you tackled more complex challenges later.

?? Has your confidence improved as you learned different things until you could do a task without breaking a sweat?

Come along as we explore the exciting link between your confidence and the different stages of learning. As we go, we'll be using certain words a lot, so let's make sure we're on the same page about what they mean:

1. ?? Consciousness refers to being aware of and able to perceive one's surroundings, thoughts, emotions, and experiences. It is individuals' subjective awareness of their existence and the world around them.
2. ?? Competency is the ability to effectively perform a task, job, or activity with sufficient skill and knowledge. It goes beyond having theoretical knowledge and involves practical application and proficiency in a particular area.
3. ?? A skill is a learned ability to perform a specific task or activity with expertise and precision. Skills are developed through practice, training, and experience, ranging from physical abilities to cognitive or creative talents.
4. ?? A Cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking that impacts one's choices & judgements. It can influence our perception of the world and lead to poor decision-making.
5. ?? The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a cognitive bias in which people wrongly overestimate their knowledge or ability in a specific area.

While attending a CBE(Competency-based learning) session by Lakshmi Kumar in the community platform of TeachersHelpTeachers , I found something exciting, i.e., The Dynamic Interplay Between Confidence and the Four Stages of Learning. So I started plotting the curve based on the learnings of the Dunning-Kruger Effect and the Four Stages of Learning.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect says your confidence depends on your experience. Still, it also says that there are times when people overestimate themselves and their expertise, boosting their confidence. This is how the whole process works with confidence and experience; check the below graph??.

There are four essential points on this curve, i.e. Peak, Valley of despair, Plateau of productivity, and Mastery. And you can clearly see the relationship between experience and confidence while moving from the first point to the last. Let's go ahead and observe the same behaviour with different stages of learning. Observe the graph below??

The Four Stages of Learning are:

1. ?? Unconscious Incompetence: You're unaware of your lack of skill or knowledge in a particular area. You don't even know what you don't know.
2. ?? Conscious Incompetence: In this stage, you recognize your lack of proficiency and are consciously aware of what you need to learn or improve. You're starting to understand what you don't know.
3. ?? Conscious Competence: You've acquired the skill or knowledge at this stage, but using it requires conscious effort and concentration. You'll be able to perform the task but need to consider each step.
4. ?? Unconscious Competence: In this final stage, the skill or knowledge has become second nature to you. You can perform the task effortlessly without thinking about it consciously.

Upon closer examination, you'll notice a steep curve from the first to the second learning stage. This transition marks when you become conscious of your competency, often resulting in a significant dip in confidence. This drop might further deepen as you strive to acquire more knowledge to overcome your initial incompetency. However, your confidence will likely rebound as you gain deeper insights and expertise in your chosen subject or field.

Furthermore, at each stage of learning, individuals commonly experience a range of emotions that significantly influence their motivation to persevere through the challenges they encounter.

? There are a few studies and strategies to deal with the level of Challenge and Skill at such stages for individuals, which we will cover in future articles.

In his enlightening book "Atomic Habits," James Clear discusses the concept of the "Valley of Disappointment," where results are compared against time. This parallels what I refer to as the "Phase of Struggle." While many perceive this struggle as a negative phase, it's actually the foundational step toward attaining greater knowledge and wisdom.

The Phase of Struggle commences right after the initial stage and extends through the third stage, encompassing the journey from ??Unconscious Incompetence to ??Conscious competence. As you progress beyond the third stage, this struggle gradually diminishes.

In conclusion, embarking on a learning journey is often accompanied by clear goals in mind. However, as the journey unfolds, reality sets in, and those initial objectives can become hazy. As we transition from the stage of Unconscious Incompetence to Conscious Competence, our confidence undergoes constant fluctuations, impacting both our forward momentum and our motivation to reach our desired achievements.

Nonetheless, skill mastery becomes attainable by persistently advancing with the aid of appropriate resources, a supportive environment, well-matched challenges, guidance, and dedicated practice. This path will be full of difficulties; setbacks may even arise. Yet, by maintaining a determined mindset, arming ourselves with knowledge, and pursuing a course of action with resilience, the prospect of reaching the pinnacle of Unconscious Competence is indeed within reach. Through these stages of learning, we discover that while the journey might be demanding, the rewards of becoming a master of our chosen skill are immeasurable.

#learn #share #congnitive_bias #consciousness #competency #learning #psychology #education #NEP2020 #NCF #motivation #skill

Additional wisdom from "A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to 21st Century."