For planning researchers @amyjko @shuchig @ShriramKMurthi, why do you think it works? My 3 hypotheses (orthogonal). Others? Hypothesis #1: It's a form of reflection that primes memory, thus making it more likely that you think about the right things for success. 1/3

Hypothesis #2 (drawing on @lauren_marg): Planning is a form of self-explanation. If you can explain to yourself how it works, then you have a better mental model of how it works, and thus planning increases odds of success, learning, and self-efficacy.

Hypothesis #3: Planning is a form of mental simulation. The programmer/student thinks through what could go wrong and develops alternative paths, which then inform programming go forward.

These are my naive hypotheses. What do you think is going on? /end