Understanding How We Learn

Educational practice does not, for the most part, rely on research findings. Instead, there’s a preference for relying on our intuitions about what’s best for learning. But relying on intuition may be a bad idea for teachers and learners alike.

This accessible guide helps teachers to integrate effective, research-backed strategies for learning into their classroom practice. The book explores exactly what constitutes good evidence for effective learning and teaching strategies, how to make evidence-based judgments instead of relying on intuition, and how to apply findings from cognitive psychology directly to the classroom.

Including real-life examples and case studies, FAQs, and a wealth of engaging illustrations to explain complex concepts and emphasize key points, the book is divided into four parts:

• Evidence-based education and the science of learning
• Basics of human cognitive processes
• Strategies for effective learning
• Tips for students, teachers, and parents.

Written by “The Learning Scientists” and fully illustrated by Oliver Caviglioli, Understanding How We Learn is a rejuvenating and fresh examination of cognitive psychology’s application to education. This is an essential read for all teachers and educational practitioners, designed to convey the concepts of research to the reality of a teacher’s classroom.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Evidence-based education and the science of learning

1 Communication breakdown between science and practice in education

2 Different types of evidence in education

3 Is intuition the enemy of teaching and learning?

4 Pervasive misunderstandings about learning: How they arise, and what we can do

Part 2 Basics of human cognitive processes

5 Perception

6 Attention

7 Memory

Part 3 Strategies for effective learning

Introduction: Strategies for effective learning

8 Planning learning: Spaced practice and interleaving

9 Development of understanding

10 Reinforcement of learning: Retrieval practice

Part 4 Tips for teachers, students, and parents

11 Tips for teachers

12 Tips for students

13 Tips for parents

About the Authors

Yana Weinstein is Assistant Professor of Psychology at University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA. Yana is co-founder of The Learning Scientists, http://www.learningscientists.org/, a project whose goal is to make scientific research on learning more accessible to students, teachers, and other educators. Yana tweets as @doctorwhy.

Megan Sumeracki (formerly Smith) is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Rhode Island College, USA. Megan is co-founder of The Learning Scientists, where she aims to increase the use of effective study and teaching strategies that are backed by research. Megan tweets as @DrSumeracki.

Oliver Caviglioli was a principal of a special school for a decade, before co-creating the HOW2s– visual guides to evidence-based teaching techniques. More recently, Oliver has used a variety of visual formats in different contexts: hand-drawn sketchnotes, digital diagrams, infographics, live hand-drawn conference notes and posters. Oliver is busy on Twitter as @olicav.