Kick off session #17 - Learning from neuroscience – cognition and design of learning

 

This workshop will look at the question “From what we have learned from cognitive neuroscience, how do we learn?  How should we teach?”

Derek Chirnside, educational developer at Ara Institute of Canterbury Ltd. Provides a consolidation on the various neuroscience concepts introduced in previous kick off sessions.

Summarised insights around cognition and learning based on cognitive neuroscience and to stimulate thinking on how to connect these to teaching.

Used recent experience at ‘bagel school’ to provide examples of what worked and what did not. Used Ausubel – the most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner brings with them into the learning. Revised how working memory works – how many items can be held in the brain at once and how long the brain is able to engage with learning (perhaps 15 – 20 minutes).

Revised cognitive load theory. Extraneous load (noise, distractions) is not useful. Intrinsic load is the items being processed – new learning, linking to past learning etc. Germane load is the effort required to process the learning.  Therefore, do not talk to long, chunk your delivery, take breaks.

The pause procedure is useful in reducing load. Breaks in long lectures help with processing and later recall. Recommended to train your students to take ‘thinking breaks’ and to ensure students know that learning is not always easy (desirable difficulty is useful in progressing learning).

As a teacher plan transitions, instructions and have clear goals.

Revised the information processing model – working memory and long term memory with schema being the things that are formed by individuals to represent concepts etc. (encoding)

Highlighting and just reading notes does not lead to deep learning. Retrieval practice is more effective as it creates the neural pathways required to achieve ‘fluency’.

The reason 3 exposures to concept etc. works because of the ‘forgetting curve’. Interleaved practice is better than repetitive practice of a single skill/concept. Instead of doing xxx.yyy.zzz. do xyz.zxy. yxz

Cramming not recommended by spaced learning more effective. Elaboration also useful as it causes learner to have to re-interpret/re-explain something they have learnt, leading to reinforcement.

Shared the work on cognitive overload from Sweller - worked example effect,, redundancy effect, Split attention effect, modality effect

 Had to then leave for another meeting!