The Science of Learning-What Every Teacher Should Know

The Science of Learning-What Every Teacher Should Know

I completed a course of study offered by Teachers College X, an online learning initiative of Teachers College, Columbia University through edX. The course is about The Science of Learning-What Every Teacher Should Know. The duration of the course is 20 hours of professional learning. This course helped me demystify some of the grey areas I had relating to cognitive science which now powerfully informs us about how we can teach and learn more effectively.

This education course will show you, through current research, how we learn — the way our brain makes, stores, and retrieves memories.

You will examine common misconceptions and misunderstandings about learning that can prevent students from learning at their fullest capacity. Along the way you will explore the practical implications of cognitive science for classroom teaching in terms of choosing effective instructional strategies, developing useful assessments, motivating student effort, and designing learner-centered curricular units.

This course is aimed to enhance the practice of K-12 teachers

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

·         How the brain encodes memories, stores them, and retrieves them for later use.

·         Why working memory is so important for learning and ways to prevent it from getting overloaded.

·         Strategies for making memories that “stick” and can be readily recalled when needed.

·         Misconceptions that many students have about learning and ways to correct them.

·         How student mindsets and beliefs about learning can help or hinder their academic success.

·         How to help students become independent and self-regulated learners so they can lead their own learning.

·        Teaching strategies and assessment techniques that maximise student learning.

COURSE OUTLINE

Section 1 Memory and Learning	Teacher Nicole Brittingham Furlonge, English Teacher, Grades 9-12 Topics Learning in Schools Understanding How Memory Works Working Memory Connecting Prior Knowledge Making Memories Retrieving Memories
Section 2 Mindsets	Teacher Ted Ogden, English Teacher, Grades 6-12 Topics Taking the Student’s Perspective Importance of Non-Cognitive Factors Growth Mindsets and Learning Developing Growth Mindsets Sense of Belonging
Section 3 Student Learning Strategies	Teacher Kari Ostrem, MfA Master Math Teacher, Grades 9-12 Topics Cognitive Load Multitasking Motivation Learning to Learn
Section 4 Effective Teaching Strategies	Teacher Lily Diamond, Teacher, 5th Grade Topics The Science of Learning and Effective Teaching Strategies Feedback and Teaching Retrieval Practice Spacing and Interleaving Metacognition

 VIDEOS

The four-section course is comprised of 4-7 video lectures that are 5 - 12 minutes long. The videos can be watched at various speeds and with or without closed captioning. Additionally, downloadable transcripts are available for each video lecture and run simultaneously to the left of the video.

The videos will feature guest teachers from various schools in the United States invited to deliver lectures co-written by Dr. Pearl Rock Kane and Dr. Kevin Mattingly, professors at Teachers College, Columbia University. Interviews with these teachers will provide personal anecdotes on what has worked for them and what they have found challenging.

ACTIVITIES AND TOOLS

·         Discussion Forum: Will help us discuss, debate, and build community. Please review the discussion guidelines before posting. Use [STAFF] in the subject of each post that needs attention from a course team member. Please see the edX Learner's Guide for detailed information on how to make the most of edX discussions.

·         Teams: Science of Learning Teams are groups of up to 20 students who meet regularly in-person or virtually to review and discuss the course and explore the concepts of the course together. Although students are encouraged to participate in discussions within the edX forums, joining a Team allows for deeper and more personal engagement with the course and with other students. See our EDSCI1x Team Leader Guide for more information.

·         Self-Checks: Formative assessments that follow video segments test your understanding of core concepts.

·         Teacher Journal: A place for you to keep reflections and responses for your insights and applications we hope you will be able to use later in your own classroom practice.  We will use the Notes function of edX as our journal. Sometimes we will provide "prompts" for you to respond to, yet you can use your Teaching Journal at any time to record your thoughts and ideas.

·         Weekly Progress Chart: Will help you keep track of your progress by showing your completed assessments and scores.

ASSESSMENT AND GRADING

Section Quizzes	40%	Four section quizzes assess your knowledge of the content for each topic. The lowest scoring quiz will be dropped.
Self-Reflections	20%	Five self-reflections appear throughout the course to give you an opportunity to think more deeply about concepts and evaluate
Final Exam	40%	One final exam will assess your understanding of major concepts covered.

You must earn 70% or more of the total grade to pass the course. We encourage you to earn a verified certificate for this course. To learn more about what verified certificates include, please see the edX Learner's Guide. This course offers On-Demand certificates. From edX: "As soon as you have achieved the required grade in the course, you see a message at the top of the course Progress page indicating that you have qualified for a certificate. At this point, you can keep working toward a higher grade in the course, or you can request your certificate immediately." For more information, please see the edX docs.

Self-Reflection Rubric

Description	2 Proficient	1 Developing	0 Lacing
Relevance to Your Teaching Practice: Discuss the relevance of the topic to your students and teaching practice	This response contains discussion of the relevance of the topic to your students and teaching practice in an in-depth and detailed way	This response contains discussion of the relevance of the topic to your students and teaching practice, but lacks depth and detail in some areas	Response does not discuss or address the topic relevance to your teaching practice
Application: Does the response provide an example of classroom application?	This response contains a clear and specific example of what seems to be a feasible application	This response contains an example of a classroom application, but it is difficult to determine or not stated clearly	Response does not discuss or address a classroom application

READINGS AND RESOURCES ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF LEARNING

This list is a selective overview of some useful resources for deepening your understanding of concepts introduced in the Science of Learning MOOC. It is not meant to be comprehensive but simply as an entry point for you into the research about how people learn. Many of the articles cited can be found online as PDFs for your professional use and application.

Learning—General

Books

Ambrose, S.A. and J.A. Bridges. (2010). How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching. Jossey-Bass.

Brown, P. C., Roediger, H. L. and McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning.  Belknap Press.

Carey, B. (2014). How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens. Random House.

Doyle, T. and T. Zakrajsck. (2011). Learner-Centered Teaching: Putting the Research of Learning Into Practice. Stylus Publishing.

Dumont, H., D. Istance, and F. Benavides, eds. (2010). The Nature of Learning: Using Research to Inspire Practice. OECD Publications.

Ericsson, A. and R. Pool. (2016). Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Hattie, J. and G.C.R, Yates. (2013). Visible Learning and the Science of How We Learn. Routledge.

Lang, J.L. (2016). Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning. Jossey-Bass.

Ormrod, J. E. (2015). Human Learning. Pearson.

Willingham, D. T.  (2009). Why Don’t Students Like School? Jossey-Bass.

Articles

American Psychological Association (2015). Top 20 Principles from Psychology for PreK–12 Teaching and Learning. APA Publishing.

Benassi, V. A., Overson, C. E., & Hakala, C. M. (Eds.) (2014). Applying science of learning in education: Infusing psychological science into the curriculum. Retrieved from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology web site:http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/asle2014/index.php

Deans for Impact (2015). The Science of Learning. Austin, TX: Deans for Impact. [Link]

Dumont et al (2012) The Nature of Learning: Using Research to Inspire Practice. Centre for Educational Research and Innovation, OECD Publications.

Website Blogs

The Learning Scientists: http://www.learningscientists.org

Daniel Willingham Science and Education

Blog: http://www.danielwillingham.com/daniel-willingham-science-and-education-blog

Learning Deeply

Blog: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning_deeply/?_ga=1.221559128.1114697907.1480521103

Inspired Instruction--Videos from the Teaching Channel: http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/inspired_instruction/?_ga=1.160215549.1114697907.1480521103

Conferences and Workshops

Learning and the Brain: https://www.learningandthebrain.com/education-conferences

Understanding Memory and Learning        

Active Learning

Drake, E. and D. Battaglia. (2014). Teaching and learning in active learning classrooms. Faculty Center for Innovative Teaching, Central Michigan University. [Link]

Freeman, S. E et al (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1319030111

Willingham, D. T. (2008). What will improve a student’s memory? American Educator, Winter, 17-25, 44.

Attention

Diamond, A.(2013) Activities and programs that improve children’s executive functions. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 21(5): 335-341.

Diamond, A. (2013) Executive functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64:135–68.

Cognitive Load

Artino, A.R., Jr. (2008). Cognitive load theory and the role of learner experience: An abbreviated review for educational practitioners. AACE Journal, 16(4), 425-439.

Misconceptions

Gardner, H. (2011). The Unschooled Mind: How Children Think and How Schools Should Teach, 2nd Edition. Basic Books.

Taylor, A.K. and P. Kowalski. (2014). Student misconceptions: Where do they come from and what can we do? In V. A. Benassi, C. E. Overson, & C. M. Hakala (Eds.). Applying science of learning in education: Infusing psychological science into the curriculum. Retrieved from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology web site:http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/asle2014/index.php

Prior Knowledge

Ambrose, S. A., & Lovett, M. C. (2014). Prior knowledge is more important than content: Skills and beliefs also impact learning. In V. A. Benassi, C. E. Overson, & C. M. Hakala (Eds.). Applying science of learning in education: Infusing psychological science into the curriculum. Retrieved from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology web site:http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/asle2014/index.php

Working Memory

Gathercole, S.E. and T.P Alloway. (2007). Understanding working memory: A classroom guide. Harcourt Assessment.

Motivation

Brophy, J. (2008). Developing students' appreciation for what is taught in school, Educational Psychologist, 43(3): 132 — 141.

Stipek, D. (2001). Motivated Minds: Raising Children to Love Learning. Holt.

Toshalis, E. and M. Nakkula. (2012). Motivation, engagement, and student voice. The Students at the Center Series. Boston, MA: Jobs for the Future. https://studentsatthecenterhub.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Exec-Toshalis-Nakkula-032312.pdf

Willingham, D. T. (2005/2006). How praise can motivate--or stifle. American Educator 29(4): 23-27.

Non-Cognitive Factors in Learning

Dweck, C.W., G.M. Walton, and G.L. Cohen. (2014). Academic tenacity: mindsets and skills that promote long-term learning. Gates Foundation. [Link]

Farrington C., et al. (2012). Teaching adolescents to become learners: The role of noncognitive factors in shaping school performance--A critical literature review. University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research. [Link]

Yeager, D., G.M. Walton, and G.L. Cohen. (2013). Addressing achievement gaps with psychological interventions. Phi Delta Kappan, 94(5): 62-65.

Student Learning Strategies

Dunlosky, J. (2013). Strengthening the Student Toolbox: Study Strategies to Boost Learning, American Educator, 37(3): 12-21.

Pashler, H. et al (2007). Organizing instruction and study to improve student learning. National Center for Education Research, Institute of Education Sciences

Zimmerman, B. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory into Practice, 41(2) , Spring 2002

Zumbrunn, S. J. Tadlock, & D. Roberts. (2011). Encouraging self-regulated learning in the classroom. Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium, Virginia Commonwealth University.

Teaching Strategies

Bjork, R.A., & C.M. Clark. (2104). When and why introducing difficulties and errors can enhance instruction. In V. A. Benassi, C. E. Overson, & C. M. Hakala (Eds.). Applying science of learning in education: Infusing psychological science into the curriculum. Retrieved from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology web site:http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/asle2014/index.php

Chappuis, J. (2014) Seven Strategies of Assessment for Learning. 2nd Edition. Pearson.

Palincsar, A. S. (1986).  The role of dialogue in providing scaffolded instruction.  Educational Psychologist, 21 (1 & 2), 73-98.

Pashler, H. et al (2007). Organizing instruction and study to improve student learning. National Center for Education Research, Institute of Education Sciences

Rosenshine, B. (2012). Principles of instruction: Research-based strategies that all teachers should know. Rosenshine, American Educator, 36(1): 12-19.

Wiggins, G. (2012). Seven keys to effective feedback. Educational Leadership, 70(1): 10-16.

Willingham, D.T. (2014). Strategies that make learning last. Educational Leadership, 72(2): 10-15.

Wiliam, D. (2013). Assessment: The bridge between teaching and learning. Voices from the Middle, 21(2): 15-20. National Council of Teachers of English.

Wiliam, D., & S. Leahy. (2015). Embedding Formative Assessment: Practical Techniques for K-12 Classrooms. Learning Sciences International.