Why do we make it so hard? Using cognitive science and assessment objectives to reframe the way we teach Shakespeare at Key Stage 4

Tamsin Page and Olivia TolleyMay 2021

Tamsin Page, Director of English, Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust, UK Olivia Tolley, Teacher of English, North Cambridge Academy, UK Shakespeare is hard. T...

Assessment, practice and curriculum0 Comments9 min read

The explicit use and modelling of cognitive science in staff development

Liz BarrattJanuary 2020

As a classroom teacher and school leader, I have experienced the positive impact of a school-wide application of a cognitive science-driven pedagogy. I have wit...

Cognitive research and teacher development0 Comments5 min read

Moving from what we know, to what we know works: How one primary school uses cognitive science in teaching and learning

David MorelJanuary 2020

Dan Willingham’s (2009) Why Don’t Students Like School? is the first thing that all staff who work at Willingham (name is a coincidence) Primary School are aske...

Cognitive research and teacher development0 Comments5 min read

Head, heart and hands: Cognitive science casts new light on some old words of wisdom

Christopher TayMay 2019

Over the 30-plus years of National Curriculum, balance and breadth have largely been a debate around the amount of time allocated between core and foundation su...

Curriculum coverage and approaches0 Comments13 min read

Promoting student-led questions in the secondary science classroom: An analysis of the types of questions created by students

Adewale MagajiMay 2021

Adewale Magaji, School of Education, FEHHS, University of Greenwich, UK This article reports a section from a study aimed at promoting formative assessment thr...

Assessment, practice and curriculum0 Comments11 min read

The value of a cognitive approach towards values education

Jonathan BealeNovember 2020

Jonathan Beale, Researcher-in-Residence, Eton College, UK How should we teach values? This takes us to a perennial philosophical question addressed by Plato: ‘...

Knowledge, skills, character and values within the curriculumOpen Access0 Comments9 min read

Translating the science of learning into practice with teacher-led randomised controlled trials: Giving teachers voice and agency in evidence-informed pedagogy

Richard Churches, Eleonor Dommett, Ian Devonshire, Robin Hall, Steve Higgins and Astrid KorinSeptember 2020

Richard Churches, Education Development Trust, UK Eleanor Dommett, Institute Of Psychiatry, Psychology And Neuroscience, King’s College London, UK Ian Devonsh...

Engaging with research and using evidence0 Comments11 min read

Releasing students from the cognitive straitjacket of visual-auditory-kinaesthetic learning styles

Lewis BakerSeptember 2020

Lewis A Baker, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, UK Learning styles pervade common nomenclature in schools and are found in m...

Engaging with research and using evidence0 Comments12 min read

Cognitive load theory and teacher expertise: specific challenges for primary teachers

Deborah PopeJanuary 2020

Cognitive load theory (CLT) (Sweller, 1998) is a well-established framework that has attracted renewed attention due to its evidential role in the new Ofsted ‘E...

Memory and cognitionOpen AccessOpen Access Primary-specific Articles0 Comments10 min read

What can cognitive psychology tell us about the challenges of learning mathematics (and what do we still not know)?

Camilla Gilmore, Lucy Cragg and Victoria SimmsJanuary 2020

A wide variation in children’s mathematics skills is observable from the earliest stages of mathematics instruction (Aubrey et al., 2006). Not only do children ...

Memory and cognition0 Comments10 min read

The value of a cognitive approach towards values education

Jonathan BealeJanuary 2020

The best way to teach values is to provide a culture embodying the values to be learned, in which students become habituated into ways of life that develop char...

Memory and cognition0 Comments14 min read

Cognitive Load Theory: A School-Wide approach

Henry SauntsonJanuary 2020

Students want to learn, but sometimes they don’t know how to; if it gets too hard or too intense too quickly then they give up, fade out or disengage – the same...

Memory and cognition0 Comments8 min read

Utilising cognitive research as an early-career teacher

Adam StubbsJanuary 2020

As a newly qualified teacher (NQT), I have spent a significant amount of time since my initial teacher training reflecting on my practice and how to maximise my...

Cognitive research and teacher development0 Comments6 min read

Researching cognitive development in primary schools: methods and practical considerations

Maria Tsapali, Tanya M Paes and Michelle R EllefsonJanuary 2020

As more and more schools participate in research projects and conduct their own research, it is important for all stakeholders (headteachers, teachers, trainee ...

Cognitive research and teacher development0 Comments12 min read

A metacognitive approach to improving academic performance and study skills in sixth form students

Elizabeth MountstevensJanuary 2020

Many students find the transition to A-level study challenging. In our most recent cohort of chemistry students, those with low prior attainment made less progr...

Metacognition and self-regulation0 Comments9 min read

‘Not thinking, just using Logic’: Creativity in science education

Keith RoseSeptember 2019

In the 60 years since CP Snow’s Rede Lecture of 1959, there has been a considerable narrowing in the cultural divide between science and the humanities, and onl...

Creativity and arts: Purpose and pedagogy0 Comments9 min read

Utilising direct instruction to train primary school children in decision-making skills in the science classroom

Maria Tsapali and Michelle R EllefsonFebruary 2019

A longstanding debate in educational and psychological research is the effectiveness of constructivist teaching methods over direct instruction. Although constr...

Effective classroom practicesOpen AccessOpen Access Primary-specific Articles1 Comment10 min read

Using Cognitive Load Theory to improve slideshow presentations

ANDY THARBYJanuary 2019

In recent years, the slideshow presentation has become so ubiquitous in our schools that it has become rare to walk into a lesson and not see one on display. Ho...

Open AccessOpen Access Cognitive Science ArticlesOpen Access Digital Learning-themed ArticlesUnderstanding the impact of technology4 Comments6 min read

Cognitive skills for active learning in the early years

Sara BakerMay 2018

There is a lot of talk about active learning in the early years, as well as a host of related pedagogical approaches: experiencebased learning, child-led learni...

Learning to learnOpen AccessOpen Access Early Years Articles1 Comment12 min read

Can we improve exam attainment in science through self-regulation?

Michael JersticeMay 2018

  Throughout my teaching career, I have consistently observed that attitude, rather than baseline data, indicates future success. Whilst some will inevi...

Learning to learn0 Comments12 min read