Lessons on Learning from the Wordle
Like most of the world, I've been obsessed with Wordle for last couple of months.
Wordle has cracked the recipe of a great learning experience. Here are 5 lessons on learning from the Wordle :
1/ Constraints are good
The rules are simple:
1 word a day
5 letters
6 tries
That’s all. You can take as much time as you want, no questions asked.
2/ Let people choose
You pick your starting point:
Your strategy is to pick the same word everyday? Go for it!
You want to pick a new word everyday depending on how you feel? That’s fine too!
In the given constraints, there is no ‘one right way’, you do you.
3/ Feedback loops help progress
You get instant feedback:
⬛️ = the letter is not in the word
🟨 = the letter is in the word but in the wrong place
🟩 = the letter is in the word and in the right place
The colours help you navigate through the game and change your strategy.
4/ Everyone seeks gratification
You’re rewarded for guessing in lesser tries. You guess the word in:
1 try - “Genius”
2 tries - “Magnificent”
3 tries - “Impressive”
4 tries - “Splendid”
5 tries - “Great”
6 tries - “Phew”
You feels like the game is echoing your thoughts. And if you guessed it in 1-3 tries, you feel accomplished for the rest of the day.
5/ Community drives it all
Wordle has created a community all across the world. Most people jump on the bandwagon because of FOMO. 🟩 🟨 ⬛️ has become a language in itself. Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, even family WhatsApp groups!
You can connect with strangers on the other side of the world by just looking at their Wordle code.
To summarise, here are the 5 lessons on learning from the Wordle:
1/ Constraints are good
2/ Let people choose
3/ Feedback loops help progress
4/ Everyone seeks gratification
5/ Community drives it all
Sadly, learning today doesn’t look anything like this.
It doesn’t give learners choice, doesn’t give timely feedback, does not gratify and get’s people to compete with each other instead of creating a community.
Wordle is one example of what a great learning experience can look like. I would love to hear more from you.
What are other examples of great learning experiences?