Professor Dan Willingham and Paul Bruno
Drawing on the latest scientific research, The Science of Learning addresses the weighty question of how pupils learn and what teachers can do to help their classes get the most out of their time in school. Using six key questions about the process of learning, this research acts as a guide for putting scientific theory to practical use in the classroom for both new and experienced teachers.
Breaking learning down into six key aspects, the researchers ask:
- How do students understand new ideas?
- How do students learn and retain new information?
- How do students solve problems?
- How does learning transfer to new situations in or outside of the classroom?
- What motivates students to learn?
- What are common misconceptions about how students think and learn?
It sets these six questions out in a simple, accessible style providing for each the cognitive principle – such as ‘students learn new ideas by reference to ideas they already know’ – and giving practical examples of how teachers may incorporate that principle into their teaching practices.
Without going too much into the scientific details the research provides an interesting read for those wishing to explore the ‘why’ of teaching, as well as the ‘how’ and offers an explanation for why some teaching practices may prove more effective at helping pupils to learn than others.
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