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Resources & Ebooks
I’ve added eBooks to the resources page. Resources are free but I’d really appreciate a mention if you use them – many of them take quite a long time to compile and it’s always great to know that people are finding them useful. All I really ask is that you don’t sell them. It’s REALLY…
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Why reading aloud leads to better recall
The production effect states that when we read aloud, our memory of the information is stronger than if we read silently to ourselves. Yet this behaviour is often viewed with disdain, especially in older students. When we first learn to read we read out loud, perhaps to a teacher or a parent. Once we become…
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When is a chunk not a chunk?
Chunking describes the process by which individual pieces of information are broken down and grouped together. The process is said to make the recall of information easier because it helps to bypass the inherent limitations of working memory. However, chunking also relies heavily upon long-term memory. Chunking is, therefore, related to another aspect of memory…
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5 Cognitive Effects
The Generation Effect The generation effect refers to the long-term benefit of generating an answer, solution or procedure versus the relatively poor retention seen in being presented with it. The retrieval of learned information, therefore, is a more effective strategy than, say, re-reading the material because of the cognitive effort required. One study, for example,…
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The Myth of 10,000 hours
No, you can’t become an expert after 10,000 hours of practice Often, as children, we are encouraged to believe that if we work hard then we’ll succeed. In reality, this isn’t always the case, yet effort is a major factor in how well we do in the tasks we choose or are given. We can’t…
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Why Learning Should Be Difficult
(But not too difficult) Whichever definition of learning we choose to adopt, the one thing they all have in common is the notion that it involves a relatively permanent change. Robert Gagné, for example, defines learning as ‘a change in human disposition or capability that persists over a period of time and is not simply…
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Should You Tear Down Those Classroom Displays?
You’d be hard pushed to find a classroom that doesn’t have some kind of display, yet very little is known about their impact on achievement. Recently, however, a few studies have arisen that attempt to establish the extent to which classroom displays can help or hinder learning. Early research has discovered that putting up student’s…
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Do Young People Really Lack Resilience?
It’s June 2019 and I’ve been checking the weather forecast since Monday. We’re heading to Castle Donington on Friday to attend Download Festival, a three-day event hosting the cream of rock and heavy metal. The most ardent metal-heads arrive on Wednesday, set up their tents and settle in before the crowds arrive towards the end…
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Why does the learning styles myth persist?
The belief that people have certain learning styles has been with us for some time now, as has the controversy that surrounds it. However, despite the best efforts of psychologists, neuroscientists, cognitive scientists and education professionals, this myth persist. The theory of learning styles implies that there exist different ways of learning and that individuals…
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The Emotional Learner 