Teaching may be an art but there is a mountain of science behind human cognition. Unfortunately it is often ignored or misunderstood in educational and training institutions. The local early French immersion debate sparked by our provincial government was a case in point that educational decisions do not seem to require scientific evidence.
Donald Clark has a post on 10 facts about learning that should have everyone in the learning profession nodding their heads:
- Spaced Practice [how to develop any skill is through practice and appropriate feedback]
- Cognitive overload [reduce the load and improve learning]
- Chunking [PDF on chunking techniques used by air traffic controllers]
- Order [such as learning a second language]
- Episodic and semantic memory
- Psychological attention
- Context
- Learn by doing
- Understand peer groups
- Murder the myths [e.g. learning styles, Bloom’s taxonomy]
To be considered professionals, we have to hold ourselves accountable for our practices. So why do we still have 50 minute classes; delivery of facts instead of affording time for practice; and a prejudice for text literacy, to name just a few of our common practices. Donald has highlighted only ten science-based factors influencing learning but there are many more hidden in the closet.
