Hello! And welcome to another weekly update on memory and metacognition.
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On developing successful learners
Last time I promised to talk more about how and when to develop students’ study skills. Let me just say one thing to start off with – while there are exceptions, I don't think this is done early enough or well enough in the majority of schools.
All too often, schools wait until exams are just around the corner before telling students about things like the spacing effect or retrieval practice.
Or worse – they don't do so at all, and instead share myths such as learning styles or the idea of right- and left-brained learners.
Left Brain Vs. Right Brain. Is there any truth in the claim? | by Jonathan Firth | Inspired Education | Apr, 2022 | Medium — medium.com Is there any truth in the claim?. “Left Brain Vs. Right Brain” is published by Jonathan Firth in Inspired Education.
In my view, if we are doing things right, then by the time students reach their exams, they should already know how to study.
After all, they have been in formal education for around ten years by that point, right?
Clearly, young learners won't be very motivated to prepare for their exams many years in advance. We can't just say, "Do this, because you'll need to know it when you're 16."
What we can do instead is to help them to develop certain key skills and knowledge, such as:
how memory works
how to tackle forgetting
when and how to practice
how to identify gaps in their own knowledge
what to do when they get stuck
A lot of this is what is known as metacognition. It's a major interest of mine, and one that can really pay dividends if we get it right with young students.
It can be presented as part of science, social science or personal education in early secondary (high school) education, or even at primary (elementary school).
I'm currently working with a couple of different schools on projects to do with metacognition, as well as developing materials in collaboration with a publisher. There should be useful ideas and resources arising, and I'll share developments via this newsletter in the coming weeks and months.
Recommended reading
I got a really nice email from Professor Robert Bjork this week, and it was amazing to hear from him! His research has had a huge influence on me, not least his writings on the issues of interleaving and 'desirable difficulties'.
Therefore, a recommendation: if you get the chance, please check out this recent article from Bjork's lab, 'Does Spelling Still Matter—and If So, How Should It Be Taught?'. It's a fascinating read, and great example of how memory principles can be applied to everyday learning in schools.
In fact, I think that the teaching of spelling would be a great opportunity for developing that metacognitive awareness that I've just been talking about. By doing so, kids would not only be improving their spelling, but also their understanding of how memory works.
That's all for now... Please do hit 'reply' if you want to share your thoughts on how to develop metacognition among younger students.
Take care!
Jonathan
p.s. just one other thing – here's the link to a Youtube video of the talk at the Centre for Educational Neuroscience that I mentioned in a previous update. It's really a deep dive how we apply interleaving. Hope you enjoy :)