Supported by PESGB (Strathclyde Branch) | Organised by the āAdvanced Pedagogical Theory’ research subtheme (Strathclyde Institute of Education)
Any pedagogical process involves certain adjustments on the part of educators to support learning. Often, these make matters easier for the learner, with accommodations such as slowing down or simplifying explanations, scaffolding, or the provision of examples. However, simplification may at times conflict with the value of challenges and depth in education. This seminar aims to stimulate philosophical discussion of educational simplifications and difficulties with a view to informing theory and praxis.
Simplification is present in education from the early years of childhood. Parents of all cultures talk to their offspring in simplified language, simple texts are standard in primary schools, and many educators have emphasised the clarity of teacher explanations in instruction (e.g., Engelmann &
Carnine, 1991; Rosenshine, 2012). Easy and rapid progress has often been perceived a hallmark of a successful learning experience, for example via errorless learning procedures (Terrence, 1963) and the use of immediate, easy-to-understand feedback (e.g., Bloom, 1981; Shute, 2008). More
generally, education features a selection, simplification and representation of ideas for pedagogical purposes, which some philosophers have termed āpedagogical reductionā (Lewin, 2018). At times, it may seem that the role of the educator is to simplify.
Other scholars are wary of simplification. Biesta (2001) argues that rather than viewing difficulty as interfering in successful learning, we should conceive of it āas something that is proper, that belongs to education, as something that makes education possible in the first placeā (p. 386). Across
society, concerns have been raised about the impact of reduced demands at school level (e.g., Hayes et al., 1996) and about a perceived trend of cultural trivialisation (Postman, 1985). In classrooms, as Metcalfe (2017) notes, empirical evidence suggest a benefit to challenging and error prone
practice, yet error avoidance is the norm. Students themselves tend to prefer easy learning experiences and believe these to be more effective for learning (Koriat, 2008), but Bjork (2018) warns that they ought to be āsuspicious of a sense of easeā (p. 218), concluding that more difficult learning experiences often have a more lasting and transferable impact.
These competing philosophies of ease and difficulty in education provide the focus of the present seminar. There is a need to reflect on and critique both concepts and to challenge popular assumptions. In the session, we will seek to explore where educational difficulties are best avoided
and where difficulty is desirable.
We therefore seek contributions that shed light on these issues. Some specific questions relevant to this call for papers may include, but are certainly not limited to:
- The level of challenge across the curriculum;
- Pedagogical choices over scaffolding and/or differentiation;
- Resistance or discomfort inherent in transformational learning;
- Issues around the use of technology in simplifying or easing educational processes;
- Issues around the concept of student satisfaction as it is employed in student surveys;
- Teachersā or students metacognition with respect to educational difficulties and challenges;
- Evidence on modelling, examples, simplification and feedback;
- The role of complex texts or challenging educational experiences.
The workshop will offer a space to discuss the issue of difficulty in education drawing on multiple perspectives, and will relate to both theory and praxis.
We invite: Abstracts of approx 300 words for oral presentations of 40 minutes (30 minutes to present, followed by Q&A)
Deadline for proposals: Friday 3rd October, 2025
Decision/feedback: Friday 10th October, 2025
Seminar date: Thursday 6th November, 2025
Venue: LH127, Lord Hope Building, Strathclyde Institute of Education,
University of Strathclyde, Glasgow
To submit: please email jonathan.firth@strath.ac.uk
The organisers are exploring the possibility of an edited book on difficulty in education, and accepted presenters will be kept informed about this and invited to submit chapters based on their work.
Attendance will be free of charge to both presenters and delegates. All attendees must registervia an Eventbrite link which will be shared in the coming weeks. Tea/coffee will be provided; participants are expected to organise their own travel, food and accommodation if necessary.