Supporting Effective Learning

This practical A4 pack contains activities and ideas for teachers and students to learn more about learning. Learning about Learning is a practical way of teaching important and neglected theories of learning. The idea is that if teachers and students learn about what learning is and how it happens they understand a greater range of learning possibilities and approaches and improve their learning and teaching skills.

This teacher-friendly book focuses on how secondary students learn and how those in different roles in schools can promote their learning.

`The book is at once accessible, evidence-based, practical and eminently readable...Readers will find in this book a treasury of learners′ voices guiding us towards the goal of more effective learning in classrooms′ - International Network for School Improvement `This book promotes an ambitious and inspiring conception of meaningful pedagogy and works to applaud those teachers who are determined to reflect upon, enquire into, and then facilitate ′′effective learning′′. A coherent and structured case is made for the primacy of ′′learning′′ over ′′work′′ - Learning & Teaching Update This book addresses an important, and too seldom addressed issue: learning. Not teaching, not performance, not "work": this book really is about learning, what makes learning effective and how it may be promoted in classrooms. The authors take the context of the classroom seriously, not only because of its effects on teachers and pupils, but because classrooms are notorious as contexts which change little. Rather than providing yet more tips, they offer real thinking and evidence based on what we know about how classrooms change. Four major dimensions of promoting effective learning in classrooms are examined in depth: Active Learning; Collaborative Learning; Learner-driven Learning and Learning about Learning. Evidence from practising teachers in the form of case studies and examples, and evidence from international research in the form of useful ideas and frameworks is included.

Within education, concepts such as learning styles, learning strategies and independent learning are often cited as important areas for development in schools (DFES 1998, 2001) but these are rarely satisfactorily defined. It is essential for teachers to develop a detailed understanding of learning across the curriculum, as well as appropriate strategies, if children are to learn effectively. This book explores these important concepts by examining learning in a range of classroom settings and drawing on evidence from teachers and pupils, through interviews and observations. The focus is two-fold: to understand learning in the classroom, and to develop practices which will support learning. Topics explored include: Models of learning Learning strategies and the teacher Learning strategies and the learner Assessment for Learning The social dimension of children’s learning The book provides a rich mixture of examples, reflection points, case studies and strategies for the classroom to provide the reader with a wide range of ideas to encourage more effective learning in their classroom. Understanding Effective Learningis key reading for student, beginning and early career teachers in primary education.

First released in the Spring of 1999, How People Learn has been expanded to show how the theories and insights from the original book can translate into actions and practice, now making a real connection between classroom activities and learning behavior. This edition includes far-reaching suggestions for research that could increase the impact that classroom teaching has on actual learning. Like the original edition, this book offers exciting new research about the mind and the brain that provides answers to a number of compelling questions. When do infants begin to learn? How do experts learn and how is this different from non-experts? What can teachers and schools do-with curricula, classroom settings, and teaching methods--to help children learn most effectively? New evidence from many branches of science has significantly added to our understanding of what it means to know, from the neural processes that occur during learning to the influence of culture on what people see and absorb. How People Learn examines these findings and their implications for what we teach, how we teach it, and how we assess what our children learn. The book uses exemplary teaching to illustrate how approaches based on what we now know result in in-depth learning. This new knowledge calls into question concepts and practices firmly entrenched in our current education system. Topics include: How learning actually changes the physical structure of the brain. How existing knowledge affects what people notice and how they learn. What the thought processes of experts tell us about how to teach. The amazing learning potential of infants. The relationship of classroom learning and everyday settings of community and workplace. Learning needs and opportunities for teachers. A realistic look at the role of technology in education.

Praise for How Learning Works "How Learning Works is the perfect title for this excellent book. Drawing upon new research in psychology, education, and cognitive science, the authors have demystified a complex topic into clear explanations of seven powerful learning principles. Full of great ideas and practical suggestions, all based on solid research evidence, this book is essential reading for instructors at all levels who wish to improve their students' learning." —Barbara Gross Davis, assistant vice chancellor for educational development, University of California, Berkeley, and author, Tools for Teaching "This book is a must-read for every instructor, new or experienced. Although I have been teaching for almost thirty years, as I read this book I found myself resonating with many of its ideas, and I discovered new ways of thinking about teaching." —Eugenia T. Paulus, professor of chemistry, North Hennepin Community College, and 2008 U.S. Community Colleges Professor of the Year from The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education "Thank you Carnegie Mellon for making accessible what has previously been inaccessible to those of us who are not learning scientists. Your focus on the essence of learning combined with concrete examples of the daily challenges of teaching and clear tactical strategies for faculty to consider is a welcome work. I will recommend this book to all my colleagues." —Catherine M. Casserly, senior partner, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching "As you read about each of the seven basic learning principles in this book, you will find advice that is grounded in learning theory, based on research evidence, relevant to college teaching, and easy to understand. The authors have extensive knowledge and experience in applying the science of learning to college teaching, and they graciously share it with you in this organized and readable book." —From the Foreword by Richard E. Mayer, professor of psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara; coauthor, e-Learning and the Science of Instruction; and author, Multimedia Learning