Study skills · Principles
Self-Explanation: Connect Ideas and Explain Why
An explanation connects an answer to a reason. Ask what makes a step valid, which earlier idea it depends on, and what would change in a different example. Speaking simply can reveal missing reasoning, but simplicity is useful only when the explanation stays accurate.
What supports this approach
Research reviews identify self-explanation and elaborative questioning as promising, with benefits that depend on the task, guidance and prior knowledge.
Evidence and background: Dunlosky et al. (2013): Improving Students’ Learning.
Methods to put it into practice
Explain each step
Pause after a worked step and name the rule being used. Replace ‘because that is what comes next’ with a reason you could apply to another problem.
Ask why and how
Write a question about a relationship, rather than a label. Check your explanation against course material before treating it as a study answer.
Contrast examples
Choose a case that fits an idea and one that does not. Explain the difference. This makes a definition more precise than memorising its wording alone.
A repeatable study pattern
Choose one idea or solution step.
Explain the reason in your own words.
Locate a gap or uncertain claim and check it.
Revise the explanation and apply it to another example.
Example: why subtract from both sides?
Solve 3x + 6 = 18. Subtracting 6 from both sides gives 3x = 12, then dividing both sides by 3 gives x = 4. The important explanation is that doing the same operation to both sides preserves equality.
‘Move the 6 and change the sign’ describes a shortcut but hides the reason. Write the full subtraction once: 3x + 6 − 6 = 18 − 6. Then explain why the sixes cancel on the left.
Check by substitution: 3 × 4 + 6 = 18. Apply the explanation to 2x + 5 = 13, where x = 4 again. Equal answers do not make the two procedures identical; identify which numbers you subtract and divide by.
Try it in another subject
In English, explain how a particular word supports your interpretation of a character. Connect the quotation to the claim instead of simply placing them side by side.
Common mistakes and adjustments
Fluent explanations can contain mistakes. Verify the central claims rather than rewarding confidence alone.
If the topic is new, explain a teacher-provided example first. You do not need to invent a complete explanation from nothing.
An example week
This is an example week, not a prescribed review interval. Adjust the tasks, time and support to the learner’s course and recall results.
| Day | Task | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | Explain three algebra solution steps | 20 |
| Thursday | Apply the explanations to new equations | 15 |
| Saturday | Explain one English quotation and check it | 15 |
Put the week in your calendar
Replace the bracketed date and time zone, then paste the prompt into Magic Generate in School Calendar. Review dates, durations and tasks before adding the events. See the Magic Generate guide.
Systems that use this principle
Some systems use this principle as a core step; others offer it as an optional extension.
Cornell Notes: Turn Lesson Notes into Questions and Review
Use Cornell notes to turn a lesson into cue questions, covered-note recall and a later review, with a complete science example and practical adaptations.
Uses this principle in the core routineSQ3R: A Practical System for Studying a Textbook Chapter
Try Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review with a worked reading example. Turn a textbook section into questions and checkable explanations.
Uses this principle in the core routineThe Feynman Technique: Explain an Idea and Find the Gaps
Use a Feynman-style explanation workflow to uncover gaps, verify claims and refine your understanding, with a simple circuit example and study schedule.
Uses this principle in the core routineA Worked-Example Practice Cycle for Maths and Science
Follow a complete algebra practice cycle from a solved example to missing steps, independent work and later mixed questions, with answer checks included.
Uses this principle in the core routineFor a subject-specific plan, see Math study routines. Or return to all study principles and systems.
Sources and review
Reviewed 2026-09-27. Examples and calendar schedules are editorial illustrations.