The Science of Learning

Education

Published

May 31, 2023

Modified

May 31, 2023

“The Science of Learning” …six key concepts in learning…

1. How do students understand new ideas?

Learn new ideas by reference to ideas already known…
- …sequence a curriculum correctly …ensure required prior knowledge is present
- …use analogies …map new idea onto prior knowledge
Students must transfer information from working memory to long-term memory…
- …working memory can be overwhelmed by cognitively too demanding tasks
- …“worked examples” (step-by-step demonstration) reduce students cognitive burden
- …multiple modalities to convey an idea …two types of information complement one another
- …carefully paced explanation, modeling, and examples can help

2. How do students learn and retain new information?

Students should think about meaning…
- …assign tasks that require explanation
- …require students to meaningfully organize material
- …stories and mnemonics are particularly effective
Practice is essential to learning new facts…
- …space practice over time …reviewed across weeks or months
- …low- or no-stakes quizzes in class …self-tests
- …interleave practice of different problem types
Remember students what information means and why it is important

3. How do students solve problems?

Set of facts (in long-term memory) aid problem-solving by freeing working memory
Effective feedback essential to acquiring new knowledge and skills
- …specific and clear …focused on the task (not the student)
- …focused on improvement (not feedback on performance)

4. How knowledge transfers to new situations?

Requires both knowledge of the problem’s context and deep understanding of the underlying background
Hard to see the unifying underlying concepts in different examples…
- …compare problems with different surface structures that share the same underlying structure
- …for multi-step procedures …identify and label the substeps required for solving a problem
- …alternate concrete examples and abstract representations

5. What motivates to learn?

Believe that intelligence and ability can be improved through hard work…
- …praising productive student effort and strategies
- …encouraging set learning goals (rather then performance goals)
Self-determined motivation leads to better long-term outcomes than controlled motivation
Ability to monitor thinking process…
- …helps to identify unknown knowledge
- …therefore help students to monitor their own learning
Students motivation to learn in an environment they feel safe and valued

6. What are common misconception s about learning?

Novices and experts cannot think in all the same ways
Cognitive development not a fixed progression …not related to age
Students do not have different “learning styles”
Humans do not use only 10% of their brains
People are not preferentially “right-brained” or “left- brained”

--- title: The Science of Learning categories: - Education date: 2023/05/31 date-modified: 2023/05/31 --- [“The Science of Learning”](https://deansforimpact.org/resources/the-science-of-learning) ...six key concepts in learning... **1. How do students understand new ideas?** - Learn new ideas by reference to ideas already known... - ...sequence a curriculum correctly ...ensure required prior knowledge is present - ...use analogies ...map new idea onto prior knowledge - Students must transfer information from working memory to long-term memory... - ...working memory can be overwhelmed by cognitively too demanding tasks - ...“worked examples” (step-by-step demonstration) reduce students cognitive burden - ...multiple modalities to convey an idea ...two types of information complement one another - ...carefully paced explanation, modeling, and examples can help **2. How do students learn and retain new information?** - Students should think about meaning... - ...assign tasks that require explanation - ...require students to meaningfully organize material - ...stories and mnemonics are particularly effective - Practice is essential to learning new facts... - ...space practice over time ...reviewed across weeks or months - ...low- or no-stakes quizzes in class ...self-tests - ...interleave practice of different problem types - Remember students what information means and why it is important **3. How do students solve problems?** - Set of facts (in long-term memory) aid problem-solving by freeing working memory - Effective feedback essential to acquiring new knowledge and skills - ...specific and clear ...focused on the task (not the student) - ...focused on improvement (not feedback on performance) **4. How knowledge transfers to new situations?** - Requires both knowledge of the problem’s context and deep understanding of the underlying background - Hard to see the unifying underlying concepts in different examples... - ...compare problems with different surface structures that share the same underlying structure - ...for multi-step procedures ...identify and label the substeps required for solving a problem - ...alternate concrete examples and abstract representations **5. What motivates to learn?** - Believe that intelligence and ability can be improved through hard work... - ...praising productive student effort and strategies - ...encouraging set learning goals (rather then performance goals) - Self-determined motivation leads to better long-term outcomes than controlled motivation - Ability to monitor thinking process... - ...helps to identify unknown knowledge - ...therefore help students to monitor their own learning - Students motivation to learn in an environment they feel safe and valued **6. What are common misconception s about learning?** - Novices and experts cannot think in all the same ways - Cognitive development not a fixed progression ...not related to age - Students do not have different “learning styles” - Humans do not use only 10% of their brains - People are not preferentially “right-brained” or “left- brained”