What is the science of learning?

Today, teachers are constantly encouraged to use evidence-based practices in their classrooms, with a high emphasis on teaching quality.

Yet, sadly, Australia faces ongoing challenges with student educational outcomes. Student results continue to plateau and key pillars of Australian education policy are informed by outdated educational practices dating back as far as the 18th century. 

While the emphasis on teaching quality and evidence-based practices is a step in the right direction, it remains insufficient.

Increasingly, research shows that a critical part of advancing Australia’s education system will depend on applying the “science of learning.” But what does this term mean, and why is it crucial for educators to understand?

Below, we’ll dive into what the science of learning entails, its key principles and strategies, and how it might be applied to your teaching practice.

What is the science of learning?

The science of learning studies how students acquire, process and retain knowledge to optimise teaching and learning. It integrates insights from cognitive science, psychology, neuroscience and contemporary education.

The science of learning has two important aspects. The first is understanding and clearly expressing what science tells us about how students learn best. Given that scientific research is broad and constantly evolving, this is a dynamic task requiring constant updates.

The second is the need to translate scientific findings into practical educational strategies that teachers can use. This ultimately leads back to teacher education, as change can only be driven by teachers understanding and using new approaches.

Who can benefit from the science of learning?

The science of learning is essential for current and future educators because it offers evidence-based strategies for designing effective instruction, enhancing learning experiences and meeting diverse learning needs. 

Understanding and applying the science of learning is important for a range of people, both inside and outside the classroom. 

Teachers 

By understanding the science of learning, teachers can design lessons and learning environments that are more likely to lead to positive learning outcomes for students.

According to the Strong Beginnings report, teachers who can understand and apply the best evidence-based educational practices are also more likely to be successful in their careers and stay in teaching long term. 

Students 

Science of learning principles can help students learn more effectively, increase their engagement and motivation, and develop a positive attitude toward learning. 

Parents 

By understanding the science of learning, parents will know how their child learns best and be more informed when choosing a school and interacting with their child’s teachers.

Education leaders and policymakers

Policymakers can play a crucial role in guiding teachers and leaders in the importance of these principles, as well as removing barriers to implementing the science of learning at scale. 

6 key science of learning principles

Given the breadth and complexity of scientific research, it is necessary to distil it into concise, understandable and usable material. Teachers are busy with full workloads, which means that new information must be clear, easy to understand and apply.

The US nonprofit Deans for Impact has identified six key questions about learning that educators need to consider as a framework for condensing relevant research and its practical implications. These are outlined below.

1. How do students understand new ideas?

Scientific research suggests that students learn new ideas by:

  • Building on ideas they already know or prior experience.
  • Transferring (or “funnelling”) information from working memory, which has limited capacity, into long-term memory, where it can be stored, retrieved and used to build complex understanding.
  • Learning in “fits and starts” rather than via a clearly defined sequence of developmental or age-related stages.

Practical implications for teaching practice include:

  • Learning material should be sequenced and scaffolded.
  • Not overwhelming students with too much information at once.
  • Differentiated teaching that allows individuals to progress at their own pace.

2. How do students learn and retain new information?

Research findings indicate that deeper processing of information produces stronger memories. This leads to the conclusion that students remember new material better if they understand its meaning and importance. Practice is also key.

Learning strategies that support these principles include:

  • Setting tasks that require students to understand course content, such as explaining or answering questions about a topic.
  • Practising learnt material in effective ways, such as revision sessions spaced out over time and alternating practice for different types of content.

3. How do students solve problems?

Mastering key facts in each subject area enhances problem-solving by freeing up working memory and providing context for applying existing knowledge and skills. 

Research suggests that in maths, sets of facts keep learners on track when performing more complex calculations and aid in the application of pre-existing knowledge to new questions.

The right type of feedback is also important in helping students learn to solve problems.

Teaching methods that support these principles include:

  • Explicit instruction and practice for sets of facts (such as times tables in maths and phonics in reading).
  • Providing feedback that is clear, specific, task-focused and oriented towards improvement.

4. How does learning transfer to new situations in or around the classroom?

Applying existing knowledge and skills to new problems requires a broad understanding of the problem's context and recognising common factors that link new problems to familiar ones. Solid storage and retention of prior learning in long-term memory is also vital, as is creative and critical thinking.

Educational research provides many strategies for broadening the knowledge base and cognitive skills of students, including:

  • Teaching through both inquiry-based learning (such as real-world problem-solving) and explicit instruction.
  • Breaking down problem-solving into steps that can be applied to different situations.
  • Using both concrete and abstract examples with a common foundation (such as worded and maths problems) to help students identify underlying principles.

5. What motivates students to learn?

Evidence from many years of research suggests that the following cognitive principles motivate students to learn:

  • Believing their own intelligence and success can be improved by hard work.
  • Self-motivation.
  • The ability to accurately monitor their own learning and identify knowledge gaps.
  • Feeling culturally safe, supported and accepted in their learning community.

Learning strategies that support these principles include:

  • Praising students for their efforts rather than innate abilities.
  • Rewarding students for self-motivation.
  • Setting tasks to develop independent monitoring (such as self-testing).
  • Working to build positive and supportive relationships both with and between students.

6. What are common misconceptions about how students think and learn?

According to recent research, learning myths are prevalent in education and these practices can negatively impact student learning. This means it’s more important than ever to implement evidence-based learning strategies in both teacher preparation and classroom settings.

Common learning “neuromyths” that scientific findings have debunked include:

  • Students have different learning styles (for example visual or auditory) and learning should be tailored to suit.
  • Humans only use ten per cent of their brains.
  • Student-guided learning that aligns with their own interests is the most beneficial.
  • People are either “right-brained” (creative) or “left-brained” (analytical).
  • Novices can think in the same ways as experts.
  • Cognitive development progresses in fixed age-related stages.

5 teaching strategies based on the science of learning

The following learning strategies promote key Science of Learning principles. In particular, they address the transfer of learnt information into long-term memory to facilitate retention, retrieval and transfer to novel situations, as well as reinforcing the importance of practice, and identifying learning gaps:

  • Retrieval practice: Students actively recall previously learnt information, such as answering a question or providing an explanation from memory.
  • Spaced practice: Reviewing content during multiple sessions over weeks or months.
  • Interleaving or mixed practice: Studying different types of closely related content in the same session, for example, practising the four maths operations all together in a mixed order rather than sequentially.
  • Elaboration: Adding details to new knowledge, based on the cognitive principle that learnt information must be deeply processed and integrated so that it can be understood and remembered. Examples include connecting ideas, using analogies and relating content to personal experiences.
  • Concrete examples: The use of real-life examples in teaching complex concepts. Research has shown that students better understand and remember abstract information when they can link it to something tangible, such as a story, visual, analogy or simulation.

Note that these strategies can also be used in cross-curriculum teaching. This includes building depth of understanding across disciplines (such as STEM learning) and using closely related subjects (such as history and geography) to strengthen learning.

Applying the Science of Learning in Australia

According to the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS), despite enormous investment into reforming Australia’s education system, indicators show that further change is needed. These include:

This study also states that outdated teaching practices, many of which contradict findings from the Science of Learning, are deeply embedded in Australian teaching. Examples include student-guided study and avoidance of rote learning.

CIS concludes that the Science of Learning needs to become the foundation for policy and practice in Australian education.

Change appears to be coming, even if slowly. Recently, the Australian Government has invested significant resources into bringing the Science of Learning to the forefront of Australian education.

This includes the establishment of the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO), its research report “How Students Learn Best”, and the government’s Strong Beginnings report on teacher education.

These developments are creating opportunities for those with expertise in the Science of Learning, both at the coalface of teaching and in critical support roles.

Build skills in the science of learning

Increasingly, teachers and leaders are recognising the importance of understanding the science of learning and what it means for their teaching practice. 

If you’re a teaching professional who wants to lead educational innovation with science-driven methods, ECU Online offers a future-focused online course to equip you for the future. 

Accelerated and 100% online, ECU Online’s Master of Education (Science of Learning) is for teaching professionals who wish to elevate their teaching practice by gaining interdisciplinary knowledge and understanding of the sciences. 

You’ll develop the analytical, critical and creative thinking skills to enhance your teaching effectiveness and improve student learning and engagement through leveraging the science of learning. 

To learn more, contact one of our Student Enrolment Advisors on 1300 707 760, email future.student@studyonline.ecu.edu.au or download a brochure on our website.

by Dean Olave