The science of learning; The most

important thing for school leaders to

know about
Home Insight

February 27, 2023

Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Distinguished Professor Viviane Robinson for a project
we’re currently working on at The Education Hub. At the end of the interview, I asked Viviane for
the number one thing she wants education leaders to know. Her response, the research on the science
of learning. Why? Because, if as Viviane has long championed, instructional leadership is essential in
schools and early childhood centres, then understanding the cognitive processes involved in the
learning process is essential.

What does the science of learning research tell us about the learning process? At the heart of learning,
is memory. Before we can engage effectively in higher order thinking on a topic (and just to be clear we
absolutely want this to be happening), it is essential that we have encoded the information about which we
are thinking into our long-term memories. This is because, any time we are processing information or ideas
– either because we are engaging with new information, or we are using what we already know to do
something new or solve a problem – we are using our working memory. Our working memories are
characterised by their limited capacity, both in terms of how much new information they can hold at any
given moment and by for how long they can hold it. That’s why if we try to take on board too much new
information at once or try to master too many steps of an activity or task too quickly, we run the risk of
overloading our working memory, which can lead to misinterpretation, forgetting key information, or
general overwhelm. That is, when teaching, we need to manage the cognitive load of our students.

There have been many attempts over the past decade to use the science of learning research, much of which
is based on studies undertaken in lab settings (although increasingly we’re seeing studies undertaken in
classrooms), to inform teaching practices. Work on retrieval practice (recalling and reusing information
from our long-term memories in order to consolidate the learning), spaced practice, interleaving, chunking,
dual coding, and worked examples, are all examples of science of learning-informed pedagogical
approaches, and there is good evidence to suggest that when effectively used in teaching, these practices can
support student learning.

The science of learning research also tells us that the more we know on a topic and the stronger our
cognitive schema, the more easily we can learn new information connected to that topic. That is, knowledge
begets knowledge. This has profound implications for curriculum design in schools. It means that what (and
how much) is taught, how this knowledge is sequenced, and how it is structured in ways that leads students
to more sophisticated understandings are critically important.

As Viviane Robinson suggested in her interview, there is an argument to be made that much of the ideology
and associated pedagogy commonly found in New Zealand schools is not informed by the science of
learning research (and in many instances runs counter to it). It is true that like any area of research, research
on the science of learning is fallible, open to misinterpretation and misrepresentation, and alone is not
enough to provide everything one needs to know about teaching and learning. However, I believe that all
teachers and leaders need to know about this research and what it means for their teaching practice.
It is not the answer to all our problems, but the science of learning research does provides a set of well
evidenced principles that should be informing the approach to teaching and learning in all schools. This does
not mean that every school or every classroom will look the same. But it should mean that every classroom
is structuring teaching and learning in ways that are most likely to ensure that every child will succeed in
their learning. And achieving that would have a profound impact on the life trajectories of our young people.

Some considerations around the science

of learning
Home Insight

February 27, 2023

As I argued in my last insight article, I absolutely believe that all teachers and leaders need to know
about the science of learning research and what it means for their teaching practice. They also need to
be supported to integrate the science of learning principles into their teaching. However, I also believe
that it’s important to recognise some of the potential limitations of how this body of research is being
applied, and other areas of research that also need to be considered alongside it. Below are seven key
points that I think need to be considered:

1. Ensure students understand why they’re learning what they’re learning and give them plenty of
opportunities to utilise the information they have learned (memorised) in higher order tasks.
While memorisation of content (moving information from episodic memory to semantic memory) is the first
stage in the learning process, it is important that learning is not left there. To be able to retrieve information,
while essential, is not enough. We also need to ensure that tasks require students to utilise that information
to build conceptual understanding, and to engage in higher order thinking tasks that require them to use the
information to create arguments, solve problems, and think creatively. They also need to have an
understanding of why it is they are learning what it is they are learning and to be able to connect it to a
purpose outside of themselves.

2. Think carefully about the content being taught, when, and why it’s being taught.
Knowledge is central to the learning process. However, while the science of learning research offers insight
into how the knowledge is best learned, it does not provide specifics on what that knowledge should be.
Therefore, it is important for teachers to be thinking carefully about what knowledge they are teaching
students, when they are introducing it, and why it is being taught. That is, the science of learning without
strong curriculum thinking and curriculum design is unlikely to lead to the full range of outcomes we want
to develop in young people.

3. Make sure you are also building students’ executive functioning skills.
The ability to effectively engage in the learning process both at school and across the life course is reliant, in
part, on executive function skills, those skills related to inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and self-
regulation. Unless teachers are also actively supporting the development of these skills in their students (and
this can be done in and through the teaching and learning process), learning will be limited.

4. Emotions matter. Our ability to learn effectively is influenced by our emotions. This means, that if
we’ve had an argument with a friend, slept poorly the night before, or not eaten breakfast, our ability to
learn will be impaired. Similarly, unless students feel a sense of belonging at school and socially
connected to their teachers and peers, their ability to fully engage in learning will be jeopardised.
5. Recognise individual needs and pathways. The learning progression of any student is non-linear. It
will go in fits and starts, accelerating and stalling at different times. Similarly, students come to school
with different background knowledge, which impacts how easily they are able to engage with any given
topic. And finally, while cognitively, the learning process of each student is more similar than it is
different, different students are going to respond to different teaching approaches, different activities,
and different topics in different ways.

6. Understand the different stages of child development. Children at different stages of development
are primed to learn in different ways and will need different types of learning activities and tasks.

7. Efficiency is important but it’s not the only consideration. Much of the work being undertaken on
applying science of learning principles in classrooms is focused, not unreasonably, on making the
learning process as efficient as possible. And much of the time, this is exactly what we should
want. Cognitive load theory, a cornerstone of the science of learning, tells us that explicit instruction,
which breaks new learning into chunks, and supports the acquisition and application of new knowledge
through a range of strategies including retrieval practice and worked examples, is essential. However,
this does not preclude sometimes starting learning about a topic at a different stage of the learning
trajectory, as long as teachers always go back to the beginning and ensure that the necessary surface
level learning is undertaken. Similarly, guided inquiry, when used with the right topic and at the right
time (in a topic and in students’ learning) can be incredibly powerful and successful.
As educators, we owe it to our students to provide them with the most effective teaching and learning
environment we can. With everything we know at this point in time, this means understanding the science of
learning research and being able to utilise it to inform how teaching and learning is structured in schools.
The Education Hub has a range of easy to read resources introducing the science of learning. But you might
also want to check out the work of Greg Ashman, Ollie Lovell, Deans for Impact, and Daniel Willingham.

https://theeducationhub.org.nz/category/school-resources/science-of-learning/