- Opinion
Are You Buying "Instructional Theatre" or Genuine Learning? The Cognitive Science Behind RM Compare.
Key Points
- Instructional Theatre vs. Genuine Learning: Much of modern EdTech prioritizes high engagement and "smooth flow" (Instructional Theatre) over the cognitive effort required for long-term skill acquisition.
- The "Shortcut" Problem: If a digital task can be completed through guesswork or passive clicking without using the target skill, learners will instinctively find that shortcut, resulting in an "illusion of learning".
- The Science of Friction: Effective learning requires "desirable difficulty"—meaning that cognitive friction is a necessary component for the brain to process and retain information.
- RM Compare’s Solution: By utilizing Comparative Judgement, RM Compare ensures that the target skill is the only path to success, removing the loopholes found in gamified apps.
- Mastery Before Progress: Through the Learning by Evaluating (LbE) loop, students must build a robust internal standard of "what good looks like" before they begin their own production.
👉 How to use: Select your sector, copy the prompt, and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini to design a strategy that prioritizes the Science of Learning over "Instructional Theatre."
Introduction
In the crowded landscape of educational technology, it is easy to be seduced by "smooth flow." Apps designed with slick interfaces, gamified rewards, and passive clicking mechanisms often feel engaging. They promise learning without the friction.
But as educational theorist Carl Hendrick argues, much of this is merely "Instructional Theatre." It looks like learning, it feels like engagement, but it lacks the cognitive substance required for long-term retention and skill acquisition.
"If a task can be completed without using the skill you are teaching, learners will find that shortcut." — Carl Hendrick, Why most education apps fail
At RM Compare, we didn't build our platform to be "smooth." We built it to be effective. We built it on a foundation of cognitive science to ensure that when students use it, genuine learning occurs.
Here is the difference between EdTech designed for theatre and EdTech designed for mastery
The Problem: The Illusion of Learning
Look at the red section of the infographic above. Most EdTech apps are designed to minimize friction. They rely on "passive clicking" and ensure a "smooth flow" to keep users "engaged."
The problem, rooted in the architecture of human memory and cognitive constraints, is that learning requires cognitive effort. When an app removes the need to think deeply, it fails to engage the necessary cognitive resources.
The result is superficial engagement. Students might complete tasks and earn digital badges, but they are experiencing an illusion of learning. They are performing the movements of study without the cognitive acquisition of skill.
| Feature | RM Compare (Science of Learning) | Typical Gamified Apps (Duolingo) |
|---|---|---|
| Success Path | Authentic Skill: The system structurally requires expert human judgement to succeed . | Guesswork: Users can often guess answers via elimination or logical deduction without skill recall . |
| Cognitive Load | Desirable Difficulty: Uses "friction" to force deep analysis and evaluation . | Frictionless: Focuses on "smooth flow" and passive clicking, which can lead to an illusion of learning . |
| Mastery Loop | Evaluate Before Produce: Students master the "quality construct" through LbE before creating work . | Linear Progress: Users move through levels based on repetition, often without mastering deeper context . |
| Primary Driver | Standard of Quality: Progress is driven by internalising what "good" looks like . | XP & Streaks: Progress is often driven by external rewards like badges and leaderboards . |
| Context | Holistic & Complex: Deals with high-order concerns like argument, structure, and oracy . | Decontextualised: Often uses isolated, surreal sentences that lack real-world application . |
Note: This comparison reinforces Hendrick's argument that if a task can be completed without using the target skill, learners will find that shortcut.
The Solution: Authentic Cognitive Work
Now, look at the green and blue sections. RM Compare is built differently because it rests on a different foundation: Learning Science Research.
We don't ask students to click passively. We ask them to engage in Comparative Judgement. This requires active decision-making. When presented with two pieces of work, a student must analyze, synthesize, and evaluate against an internalized standard to make a definitive choice.
This is authentic cognitive work. It cannot be passively "clicked through." This process leads to genuine skill acquisition because it forces the brain to engage deeply with the material.
RM Compare: The Bridge to Mastery
As the center of the infographic illustrates, RM Compare acts as the bridge between superficial theatre and genuine mastery. We do this by enforcing Non-Negotiable Instructional Invariants:
- The Target Skill Must Be the Only Path to Success In many apps, you can progress by guessing or finding loopholes. In RM Compare, the only way to succeed - to make accurate judgements or produce high-quality work - is to exercise the actual skill being measured. There are no shortcuts.
- Active Response Required Learning is not a spectator sport. By utilising methods like the "Learning by Evaluating" loop, we ensure every interaction requires an active, cognitively engaged response.
- Mastery Before Progress We don't believe in moving on until foundational concepts are secure. Through our unique approach to assessment, students build a robust understanding of "what good looks like" (mastery checkpoints) before they attempt to produce their own complex work.
Conclusion
Effective learning isn't supposed to feel like watching a play; it's supposed to feel like a workout. It requires effort, active engagement, and friction.
If your current EdTech tools feel too smooth, ask yourself: are you seeing genuine skill acquisition, or just instructional theatre?
RM Compare is not built for theatre. It’s built for learning.
FAQ
- What is "Instructional Theatre" in EdTech? Instructional Theatre refers to educational apps and tools that prioritise high engagement and gamification over actual learning. While these tools may have slick interfaces and "smooth" user experiences, they often allow learners to progress via guesswork or passive clicking rather than deep cognitive work.
- How does RM Compare differ from gamified learning apps? Unlike many apps that focus on "frictionless" progress and external rewards like XP or streaks, RM Compare is built on the Science of Learning. It utilises Comparative Judgement and the Learning by Evaluating (LbE) loop to require active decision-making, ensuring that the target skill is the only path to success.
- Why is "friction" important for learning? Modern learning science suggests that "desirable difficulty" or cognitive friction is necessary for long-term retention. If a task is too easy or can be completed without thinking deeply, the brain does not engage the necessary resources for genuine skill acquisition, leading to an "illusion of learning".
- What is the "Learning by Evaluating" (LbE) loop? LbE is an instructional framework where learners first evaluate a series of exemplars to build an internal "standard of quality". Only after mastering this quality construct do they produce their own work, followed by receiving multi-perspective active feedback.
- Does research support the RM Compare approach? Yes. Research from institutions like Purdue University and the University of Liverpool confirms that the "Mastery Before Progress" sequence used in RM Compare improves learning outcomes across the ability spectrum.
