Teaching & learning

Science of how students learn

WHAT

The science of learning draws on research from cognitive psychology, neuroscience and education to understand the processes through which we learn. 

We learn by connecting new concepts to existing knowledge—more interconnected knowledge makes learning faster and easier. 

• Activating existing knowledge: A new concept is always learned in association with already existing knowledge. The amount of existing knowledge and level to which it is interconnected influence the quality of learning. 
• Cognitive load: all new information must be processed in the working memory before it is processed to long-term memory. Our working memory has limited capacity, and therefore if tasks are too cognitively demanding or if confronted with too much new information at once, learning is impeded.
• Practice is essential to learning: students need to practice retrieving information from their long-term memories to use in a new situation or context. Practicing a particular skill or retrieving particular information is more effective when spread over time, rather than repeated sequentially over a short time period.
• Effective feedback is essential to the learning process.

WHY

Applying the knowledge of the Science of Learning enables teachers to align their teaching strategies with an understanding of how students learn. This approach proves to be highly efficient and complements the way the brain processes, stores, and retrieves information. By focusing on these cognitive processes, it facilitates effective learning, which is defined as a change in long-term memory.

In the classroom

Teachers: 

Foster the conditions of a learning focused environment

Rules and routines 

Respectful interactions 

Develop a teaching and learning plan for the knowledge students will acquire 

Define knowledge 

Chunk content 

Sequence instruction 

Manage the cognitive load of learning tasks

Explain learning objectives 

Teach explicitly 

Scaffold practice 

Monitor progress

Maximise retention, consolidation and application of learning

Revisit and review 

Vary practice

How to support at home

Your child(ren) might be coming home from school and sharing that they are doing ‘a lot of review.’ As you have read above, this is because practicing retrieving information from your long-term memory and connecting new ideas with knowledge that you already have stored in your long-term memory is how the brain learns.

In the past, students have been used to learning about a new topic, each week, but we know that this ‘one and done’ approach doesn’t easily transfer knowledge to long-term memory.

You can support your child at home by reinforcing that review and extra practice of concepts they understand deepens their knowledge and increases their efficiency in learning new concepts. The more you know and the quicker you are able to retrieve what you know, the easier it is for you to learn.

Resources

• How Students Learn Best.