Understanding cognitive science in the classroom
There is an increasing interest in making sure that school and subject leaders, teachers and support staff have a deep understanding of the science of learning, what it is that makes us learn and retain our learning. This focus needs to be a part of a collaborative dialogue where teachers reflect on how they share their subject expertise to cascade meaning; how they create a classroom that deepens learning over time and supports pupils to accept challenge and deepen their learning over time.
Teachers need to know the techniques that ensure they can feed back in such a way that pupils can continuously improve. The Education Endowment Foundation have recently published some excellent research findings linked to understanding cognitive science. Cognitive approaches in the classroom.
 | Cognitive Science in the Classroom – Putting Theory into Practice to Deepen Learning A new and exciting course from Learning Cultures. 27th April in Central London all day or as an online webinar 23rd May 14.00 – 17.00 26th June 09.00 – 12.00 11th Sept 09.00 – 12.00 |
Whether it is the teacher or the pupil doing the learning, the following questions are important in the pursuance of a deeper understanding of learning how we learn through an understanding of the theory of cognitive science.
What makes us sit up and want to listen?
How do we process what we are hearing, reading or sharing?
What makes us remember what we have learnt?
What helps us to apply what we have learnt in a variety of meaningful contexts?
Deciding on the curriculum content, the pedagogical approaches you will use to teach it and what you are looking for in relation to what pupils will achieve as a result will be enriched if how pupils will learn as well as what they will learn is carefully incorporated into the structure of the lessons and series of lessons.
How cognitive science can enhance pedagogy and learning
Memory is an essential part of the learning process, we all know that. However, in order to remember something, we firstly have to ignite a passion that will mean that whoever is doing the learning actually wants to listen and pay attention to what they are expected to learn. This can be compounded by the fact that the curriculum requires us to teach a content driven agenda that might not be on top of some learners’ wish list.
So, the content needs to inspire, the materials need to be accessible and interesting and the pedagogy enlightening and passionate. This is not always easy with the many constraints placed upon teachers at the moment. It is however worth taking a step outside the sceptical and recognise the joy that comes with making your pupils feel excited about their learning.
There are many techniques that will support teachers to think carefully about how they can create the classroom culture where pupils want to learn linked to understanding cognitive science. Making sure they are listening actively, building up their store of subject specific and out of their comfort zone vocabulary. Showing them how the concepts that form subject knowledge in your subject apply in other contexts. Creating opportunities to leave out certain elements and revisiting them at a later time. Creating visual, pictorial, auditory and other stimulus such as touch, smell and taste to help them see the knowledge from different perspectives.
Knowing the science behind all of this makes us all better teachers or like myself trainers. Those in the classroom inspiring young minds or me taking a webinar, running an INSET or presenting at a training course. We all have to find ways to share our own expertise in exciting and clever ways that keeps the interest of the learner and helps them to process that learning so that over time it enters the long-term memory and stays there.
Weaving a tapestry of learning that helps to make it stick
Simply memorising facts is useful in the short term, maybe for tests or exams. It is however, the most shallow form of learning. It is boring, meaningless and of no use to the learner except that they then become a statistic in a data set for accountability purposes. Those facts are important but it is how we retain them that is crucial to ensuring they can be used in the furtherance of learning in a subject, where they transcend subjects or apply in real life contexts.
Wherever you teach across the key stages there is plenty of time before a summative test or examination constrains creativity to look at your subject and how it is woven into the fabric of the curriculum and how through careful collaboration and positive interactions with your subject teams and other cross-curricular teams it is possible to build much more meaningful and exciting knowledge over time.
Building on prior learning and understanding the concepts that are a key element of learning in your subject but that may apply in others create a rich canvas with which to plan. Paying attention to the key skills of literacy and numeracy, the use of information technology and those meta-cognitive skills that are the secret ingredient that fosters deep learning all play their part in creating that picture for the pupil that will last in their memory and stimulate their desire to learn more.
Reflection, contemplation and replication
None of us learn in one go. We need time for thoughtful reflection, deep contemplation and imaginative reflection. We need to learn how to reflect on what we know and still need to find out.
We need to see what we have learnt from different perspectives. We need to look again at what we know so that we can be steered towards other applications for our learning or consolidation of the facts we have already processed.
All of this requires skilful and creative curriculum planning, highly effective pedagogy and the power of coaching to create the conditions for positive, incisive and motivating feedback.
This course has been designed me, Glynis Frater. I am fascinated by the potential knowing more about and understanding cognitive science can achieve for all those in the teaching profession. Join us to delve deeply into how learning more about this powerful science will raise your awareness of the importance of cognition and metacognition to learning, remembering and achieving.
| Cognitive Science in the Classroom – Putting Theory into Practice to Deepen Learning A new and exciting course from Learning Cultures. 27th April in Central London all day or as an online webinar 23rd May 14.00 – 17.00 26th June 09.00 – 12.00 11th Sept 09.00 – 12.00 |
Give us a call 01746 765076 or email us here if you would like more information about our INSET days where we can tailor one of our courses or provide a day bespoke to your schools. Have a look at our coaching courses and our curriculum courses that complement this one.
