In Action – serie

Imagine having to draw dots each time we wanted to do a sum like 3+4. Or having to sound out every word we read, no matter how many times we've seen it before. Having well-consolidated memories for how to do these things can help us avoid these difficulties, which is why consolidation should be a key goal of effective teaching. Helping students consolidate knowledge is a crucial stepping stone in allowing them to navigate problems and develop their knowledge.Building on the hugely influential paper by John Dunlosky, Amarbeer Singh Gill looks at ways teachers can use recommendations from 'Strengthening the Student Toolbox' to consolidate knowledge and enhance the learning that takes place in their classrooms. Each strategy is looked at in detail, delving into the conditions needed to help the strategies work, how they might look in classrooms, things to be mindful of when translating research into practice, and case studies from current teachers who describe how they've used these strategies.By harnessing the power of these strategies we can make it more likely that our students will succeed not just whilst they're in our classrooms, but also well beyond by giving them the tools they need for lifelong learning.

American psychologist and psychiatrist David Ausubel is well known for his famous quote:"The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows. Ascertain this and teach him accordingly" (Ausubel, 1968, vi).But few know about the richness and importance of his assimilation theory of meaningful learning and retention, which holds many more instruction-altering insights. One of the main reasons why this theory is so important is because it focuses on the end goal teachers are after: teachers don't want students to memorise distinct ideas; teachers want students to develop vast bodies of knowledge in the subjects they are taught. Ausubel explains that the only way to achieve this is through supporting students to learn meaningfully.This book explores the key elements of the theory and what it means to learn meaningfully. It then links the theory to highly practical implications teachers can use day-to-day in all aspects of their teaching.

Shimamura’s MARGE model, described as a ‘Whole-Brain Learning Approach for Students and Teachers’, builds links between the areas of neuroscience, cognitive science and the practice of classroom teachers. Through discussing key ideas within the learning process – Motivate, Attend, Relate, Generate and Evaluate – Shimamura’s MARGE is a valuable lens through which we can discuss learning.This book aims to bring the MARGE model to life through the use of case studies written by practising teachers, and examples taken from classrooms across a range of phases. Through taking each of the principles of MARGE in turn, this practical guide helps all teachers better understand how they can develop their practice and improve the impact they have with the students they teach.

The Extended Mind by award-winning science writer, Annie Murphy Paul, is not an out-and-out education book. But it is entirely focused on how learning and thinking happen, illustrating how a multi-modal approach to cognition can widen points of access to intellectual activity.Using evidence from cognitive science, neuroscience, and psychology, The Extended Mind might broaden your understanding of human cognition. The findings of Annie Murphy Paul parallel those of cognitive load theorists: memory is at the core of cognition, and the body, the environment and other people enrich learning. In this book, Emma Turner, David Goodwin, and Oliver Caviglioli demonstrate how teachers can help their students augment their thinking with their bodies (embodied cognition), external tools (situated cognition) and the people around them (distributed cognition). To ease your concerns, you will read how the works of several eminent researchers validate claims put forward.Teachers and leaders of all education phases will find this book enlightening; using practical strategies and cases studies, the authors highlight opportunities to enrich students’ learning by widening points of access to intellectual activity.