Surpassing Ourselves: An Inquiry into the Nature and Implications of Expertise

by Carl Bereiter, Marlene Scardamalia

Expertise arouses fears of a society ruled by an elite of specialists in white coats, or else it arouses derision because of the ineffectual bumbling of the so-called 'experts.'
In Surpassing Ourselves, Bereiter and Scardamalia demonstrate that these stereotypes of expertise are false. Drawing upon the latest research in cognitive psychology, they show that expertise is something other than training, experience, knowledge, or formal qualifications. Many individuals acquire all these without ever becoming experts, while some beginners, even schoolchildren, already approach problems in an 'expertlike' fashion.
Expertise is a process of progressive problem-solving in which people continuously rethink and redefine their tasks. A future 'expert society' will not be a heaven in which all problems have disappeared, but a realistic utopia in which endless problem-solving will be a highly-valued part of life.
Progressive problem solvers stay healthier, live longer, and experience the intense mental pleasure known as 'flow'. They repeatedly go beyond their well-learned procedures, avoid getting into ruts, and surpass themselves by reformulating problems at new and more complex levels. They are able to transform insoluble predicaments into soluble problems, to the benefit of everyone. Yet many of our present institutions, especially the schools, penalize expertise instead of cultivating it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Paul Reynolds]

Surpassing Ourselves: An Inquiry Into the Nature and Implications of Expertise, by two of my favorite researchers/writers Carl Bereiter and Marlene Scardamalia, provides a very scholarly but accessible look at the nature of "expertise" - and why we would do better to nurture what they refer to as "adaptive expertise." This is critical as we prepare students to face a future where memorizing what we already know and spitting it back on standardized tests isn't the kind of 'expertise' we need (if indeed, it even qualifies as authentic expertise in the first place.)

As Bereiter and Scardamalia explain, we need to move beyond the idea that expertise is a commodity one "gets" with a degree and then is able to rest on that expert label for one's career. Real expertise moves beyond what is known - into the dark area of the unknown - where one grasps in darkness at completely new insights, innovation, invention.

Until we create an educational system that gives students permission to play in this field of the unknown - where failure is an acceptable and organic part of the landscape, they will never know the liberating power of unfettered romps in the realm of messy, inventive, adaptive expertise. This is a must-read for any school reformer - or life-long learner needing encouragement to push themselves to discover their full potential.

[s m]

An excellent book by two excellent expert & learning researchers on nature and implications of expertise in human behaviour. Has various implications in the fields of schooling, life-long learning, apprenticeship and just plain old teaching. Does not contain psychological jargon, is easily understood, but contains profound material any educator should be willing to tackle. Excellent work and highly recommended also to individuals interested in surpassing themselves. It's not a self-help book nor does it try to be, but with a little bit of self-initiative it can easily become one.

[Claudia Reinfelds]

The problem is how to ensure that novices develop into experts rather than into experiences non-experts.