Professional learning
Pathways from research to your classroom
Reading about a strategy rarely changes practice on its own. Each pathway moves through the same five-stage cycle, ending with something to try and a way to check how it went.
The learning cycle
Five stages, every time
Modelled on what professional development research suggests matters: building knowledge, modelling, rehearsal and planned application.
- Stage 1
Learn the idea
A plain-language explanation, with claims labelled by evidence type.
- Stage 2
See it modelled
Figures, worked examples and classroom illustrations.
- Stage 3
Try it yourself
An interactive lab or rehearsal of the technique.
- Stage 4
Apply it in class
A concrete plan for one lesson, adapted to your context.
- Stage 5
Reflect and refine
Check what happened and decide what to change next time.
Pathways
Choose a starting point
- Any teacher new to cognitive scienceAvailable · draft
Foundations of learning science
How to read the evidence: experiments, models, reviews and classroom studies, and why they are not interchangeable.
- Learn the ideaWhat counts as evidence
- See it modelledSpotting neuromyths
- Try it yourselfReading a research record
- Apply it in classChoosing one principle to try
- Reflect and refineReflection prompts
- Teachers planning review and assessmentAvailable · draft
Making learning last
Retrieval practice first, then spacing and interleaving as those modules become available.
- Learn the ideaWhy recall changes memory
- See it modelledThe testing effect, visualised
- Try it yourselfRetrieval lab
- Apply it in classPlan a low-stakes quiz
- Reflect and refineReview what students recalled
- Teachers introducing new, complex materialAvailable · draft
Clearer explanations
Cognitive load, worked examples and dual coding — designing explanations that leave room for thinking.
- Learn the ideaIntrinsic and extraneous load
- See it modelledWords and pictures together
- Try it yourselfRedesign a cluttered slide
- Apply it in classPlan an explanation sequence
- Reflect and refineCheck where students got stuck
- Teachers whose explanations get lostIn development
Attention and understanding
Working memory limits and attention, using the cognitive load module now. A dedicated attention module is still being written.
- Learn the ideaWhy working memory is limited
- See it modelledChunking, demonstrated
- Try it yourselfTry the working memory lab
- Apply it in classRemove one distraction from a slide
- Reflect and refineSelective attention module
- Teachers developing reasoning and argumentPlanned
Thinking and explaining
Elaboration, self-explanation and transfer. Planned; no module is available yet.
- Teachers working on engagementPlanned
Participation and persistence
Motivation, emotion and belonging, separating well-supported findings from popular claims. Planned.
- Teachers supporting independent studyPlanned
Self-regulated learners
Executive functions, metacognition and motivation, with routines that reduce unnecessary demand.