Foundations course · draft
Reading the science of learning
Before choosing strategies, it helps to know what different kinds of research can and cannot tell us. This short course sets out the distinctions Cognitive Lab uses throughout.
1 · Learn
Five kinds of evidence
Each answers a different question. Strong recommendations usually draw on more than one.
| Type | What it can tell us | Be cautious because |
|---|---|---|
| Laboratory experiment | Whether a specific manipulation causes a difference under controlled conditions. | Participants, materials and delays may be far from a real classroom. |
| Classroom study | Whether an approach works with real pupils, content and timetables. | Harder to control; results depend heavily on how the approach was implemented. |
| Meta-analysis or systematic review | What a body of studies shows on average, and how much results vary. | Only as good as the studies included; averages can hide important conditions. |
| Theoretical model | A proposed explanation that organises findings and generates predictions. | A model is not itself evidence; its usefulness depends on how well predictions hold up. |
| Brain imaging | Which brain regions are associated with a task under scanning conditions. | Rarely tells a teacher what to do; activity in a region is not a teaching recommendation. |
2 · See
How claims are labelled on this site
Established finding
Replicated across studies and settings; summarised from the research.
Interpretation
A reasonable reading of the evidence that researchers may debate.
Classroom application
A practical suggestion based on the evidence, to adapt and check.
3 · Try
Check three common claims
Students learn best when taught in their preferred learning style.Reveal what the evidence says
Studies designed to test matching have largely not found the predicted benefit. Choose representations to suit the content.
See the source recordSome people are left-brained and others right-brained.Reveal what the evidence says
Most tasks involve networks across both hemispheres. The idea is a distortion of real lateralisation findings.
See the source recordBrain-training games improve general academic ability.Reveal what the evidence says
Meta-analyses find little evidence of far transfer, especially in well-controlled studies.
See the source record
4–5 · Apply and reflect
Before you move on
- Think of a strategy you use often. What kind of evidence first persuaded you it works?
- Where have you seen brain language used to sell a classroom product or approach?
- Which one principle would you most like to try more deliberately this term?