# Research map: educational practice and cognitive science ## Overview This collection contains interconnected research notes on educational practice, cognitive science, and teaching methodology. The research is grounded in cognitive load theory and memory science, focusing on evidence-based instructional methods and their practical classroom application. **Core thesis**: Learning occurs through changes in long-term memory. Working memory has a limited capacity of approximately four elements, so instruction must be designed to accommodate this constraint through explicit teaching, worked examples, and systematic practice. **Research orientation**: This collection defends knowledge-based, explicitly taught curricula against progressive or discovery-based approaches, drawing on cognitive science research and classroom implementation studies. ## Foundation concepts These core concepts provide the basis for the research: - [[Cognitive Load Theory]] - The central theoretical framework explaining how working memory limitations constrain learning - [[Memory]] - The two-component architecture (working and long-term memory) that underlies all learning - [[Learning]] - Defined as change in long-term memory, distinct from performance - [[Schema]] - How knowledge organises into interconnected networks in long-term memory - [[Prior Knowledge]] - The foundation upon which new learning builds ## Thematic categories ### 1. Cognitive science foundations Theoretical basis for instructional design: - [[Cognitive Load Theory]] - Working memory constraints and their implications - [[Cognitive Load]] - Types of load (intrinsic, extraneous, germane) - [[Memory]] - Working and long-term memory systems - [[Learning]] - Learning vs. performance distinction - [[Schema]] - Knowledge organisation in long-term memory - [[Prior Knowledge]] - How existing knowledge enables new learning - [[Chunking]] - Grouping information to reduce cognitive load - [[Element Interactivity]] - How elements interact to create difficulty - [[Biologically Primary & Secondary Knowledge]] - Evolutionary vs. cultural knowledge ### 2. Core instructional methods Evidence-based approaches to teaching: - [[Explicit Teaching]] - Highly structured, teacher-directed instruction (central methodology) - [[Worked Examples]] - Step-by-step demonstrations of problem solutions - [[Practice]] - Effective practice design principles - [[Scaffolding]] - Graduated support for complex tasks - [[I Do]] - Teacher modelling phase - [[We Do]] - Guided practice phase - [[Explicit Teaching Learning Episode]] - Complete lesson structure - [[Principles of Effective Teaching]] - Rosenshine's principles and NSW CESE framework - [[Teach Methods that Last]] - Transferable problem-solving strategies ### 3. Cognitive effects and phenomena Specific research findings that inform instruction: **Memory and practice effects:** - [[Spacing Effect]] - Learning strengthens with distributed practice - [[Interleaving Effect]] - Mixed practice improves discrimination - [[Retrieval Practice]] - Testing effect and spaced repetition - [[Fluency]] - Automaticity and cognitive load reduction - [[Fluency Practice]] - Building automaticity through practice **Instructional design effects:** - [[Worked-Example Effect]] - Demonstrations reduce cognitive load for novices - [[Expertise Reversal Effect]] - Worked examples less effective for experts - [[Self-Explanation Effect]] - Explaining reasoning enhances learning - [[Goal-Free Effect]] - Removing specific goals aids schema acquisition - [[Completion Problem Effect]] - Partially completed problems bridge worked examples and independent practice **Presentation effects:** - [[Split-Attention Effect]] - Integrating related information sources - [[Redundancy Effect]] - Eliminating unnecessary information - [[Modality Effect]] - Using audio and visual channels - [[Transient Information Effect]] - Permanence aids learning ### 4. Assessment and feedback Monitoring and responding to student understanding: **Assessment approaches:** - [[Check For Understanding]] - Systematic monitoring of student comprehension - [[Formative Assessment]] - Assessment for learning - [[Diagnostic Questions]] - Revealing specific misconceptions - [[Question Level Analysis]] - Analysing question difficulty and discrimination - [[Exit Ticket]] - End-of-lesson assessment **Assessment tools:** - [[Mini-Whiteboards]] - Individual whiteboards for whole-class response - [[Misconceptions]] - Common errors and their correction - [[Feedback]] - Effective feedback principles ### 5. Classroom management and behaviour Creating conditions that enable learning: **Systematic approaches:** - [[Classroom Management]] - Comprehensive behaviour management framework - [[Script Language of Behaviour]] - Precise behaviour language - [[Routines]] - Predictable classroom procedures - [[Rules]] - Clear behavioural expectations - [[Norms]] - Group standards for behaviour and thinking - [[Consequences]] - Responses to rule violations - [[Seating Plan]] - Strategic seating arrangements - [[First lesson]] - Establishing expectations from the start **Relational context:** - [[Relationships and Regulation]] - Emotional safety and self-regulation - [[Culture of Error]] - Normalising mistakes as learning opportunities - [[Boundaries]] - Professional boundaries in teaching ### 6. Classroom techniques and micro-practices Specific tactical implementations: **Questioning and participation:** - [[Cold-Call]] - Calling on students without raised hands - [[Wait Time]] - Pausing after questions - [[Turn and Talk]] - Paired discussion technique - [[Call and Response]] - Whole-class choral response - [[Warm Call]] - Previewing cold-call questions - [[No Opt-Out]] - Ensuring all students answer - [[Participation]] - Maximising student engagement - [[High-Value Task Structures]] - Activities worth classroom time **Listening and communication:** - [[Check for Listening]] - Verifying attention - [[Active Listening]] - Student listening skills - [[Communication]] - Effective teacher-student communication - [[Attention]] - Managing student attention **Problem design:** - [[Minimally Different Questions]] - Isolating conceptual variation - [[Problem-Solving]] - Teaching problem-solving approaches ### 7. Pedagogical philosophies and curriculum approaches Competing educational philosophies and their critiques: **Knowledge-based approaches:** - [[Knowledge-Based Curriculum]] - Systematic knowledge transmission - [[On the Shoulders of Giants]] - Building on accumulated human knowledge - [[Explicit Teaching]] - Direct instruction philosophy **Progressive approaches and critiques:** - [[Constructivism]] - Discovery learning and its limitations - [[Activity-Based Curriculum]] - Learning through activities - [[Resource-Based Curriculum]] - Independent resource exploration - [[Education as Natural Development]] - Developmental philosophy - [[Education as Social Reformation]] - Education for social change - [[Non-Explicit Teaching]] - Indirect instructional approaches **Educational purposes:** - [[Purpose of School-based Education]] - Competing visions of schooling - [[21st Century Skills]] - Critique of generic skills focus - [[Teaching is Not a Profession]] - Professional status debate ### 8. Subject-specific applications Domain-specific pedagogies and debates: **Mathematics:** - [[Maths Wars]] - Procedural vs. conceptual debate - [[Procedural Alongside Conceptual]] - Integrating both dimensions - [[Concrete Pictorial Abstract]] - CPA approach in mathematics - [[Part-whole approach]] - Number sense pedagogy - [[Multiplication Facts]] - Fluency in basic facts - [[Gender Gap in Maths]] - Achievement differences - [[Maths Anxiety]] - Emotional barriers to mathematics **Literacy:** - [[Reading Wars]] - Phonics vs. whole language **General:** - [[Surface and Deep Structure]] - Transfer and problem types - [[Use Booklets]] - Instructional materials design ### 9. Student development and individual differences How students develop and what affects their learning: **Psychological foundations:** - [[Attachment]] - Emotional security and relationships - [[Emotions]] - Emotional factors in learning - [[Motivation]] - Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation - [[Engagement]] - Active participation in learning - [[Validation]] - Recognising student experiences **Cognitive development:** - [[Experts and Novices Think Differently]] - Expertise development - [[Curse of Knowledge]] - Expert blind spots - [[Dunning-Kruger Effect]] - Metacognitive awareness - [[Valley of Latent Potential]] - Learning progress over time **Individual needs:** - [[Learning Disabilities]] - Supporting diverse learners - [[Differentiation]] - Adapting to student differences - [[Low-Floor High-Ceiling]] - Accessible and challenging tasks - [[Ability Grouping]] - Grouping practices - [[Mastery Approach to Learning]] - Ensuring all students learn - [[Responsive Teaching]] - Adapting to student needs **Common errors:** - [[Mistakes]] - Role of errors in learning - [[Misconceptions]] - Systematic misunderstandings ### 10. Historical figures and theoretical traditions Key thinkers and their contributions: - [[Jean Piaget]] - Developmental stages and constructivism - [[Lev Vygotsky]] - Zone of proximal development - [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]] - Natural education philosophy - [[Herbert Spencer]] - Education and evolution ### 11. Research literacy and critical thinking Understanding research quality and common errors: **Research quality:** - [[What Research can you Trust]] - Evaluating educational research - [[Quality Criteria]] - Research standards - [[Replication Crisis]] - Reproducibility challenges - [[Correlation does not equal causation]] - Causal inference errors **Common fallacies:** - [[Logical Fallacies]] - Reasoning errors - [[Neuromyths]] - Misconceptions about the brain - [[Behaviour Myths]] - Misconceptions about behaviour management ### 12. Specialised topics Additional areas of focus: **Planning and organisation:** - [[Centralised Lesson Planning]] - Collaborative planning structures - [[Atomisation]] - Breaking content into small units - [[Standardisation]] - Consistency in practice **Environmental factors:** - [[Temperature]] - Physical environment effects - [[Carbon Dioxide]] - Air quality and cognition - [[Sleep]] - Sleep and learning **Other:** - [[Assertiveness]] - Professional assertiveness - [[Introduction]] - Collection introduction ## Conceptual hierarchy The research contains dependencies between concepts that affect the order in which they are best understood: ### Level 1: Foundational theory These concepts explain the cognitive architecture that constrains all learning: 1. [[Memory]] - Two-component memory system 2. [[Cognitive Load Theory]] - Working memory limitations 3. [[Learning]] - Change in long-term memory 4. [[Schema]] - Knowledge organisation ### Level 2: Core principles These principles show how teaching responds to cognitive constraints: 1. [[Prior Knowledge]] - Learning builds on existing schemas 2. [[Experts and Novices Think Differently]] - Experience changes cognition 3. [[Element Interactivity]] - Task difficulty and cognitive load ### Level 3: Instructional methods Evidence-based teaching approaches that apply these principles: 1. [[Explicit Teaching]] - Systematic direct instruction 2. [[Worked Examples]] - Demonstrating solution processes 3. [[Practice]] - Consolidating knowledge 4. [[Scaffolding]] - Supporting complex learning ### Level 4: Implementation techniques Specific classroom techniques that deploy these methods: 1. [[Check For Understanding]] - Monitoring learning 2. [[Cold-Call]], [[Mini-Whiteboards]] - Assessment tools 3. [[Retrieval Practice]] - Strengthening memory 4. [[Classroom Management]] - Creating learning conditions ### Level 5: Refinement and context Deeper understanding that refines practice: 1. [[Expertise Reversal Effect]] - Adapting to learner expertise 2. [[Responsive Teaching]] - Adjusting to student needs 3. [[Culture of Error]] - Creating safe learning environments ## Key learning pathways Different entry points depending on focus: ### For understanding instructional design: 1. [[Cognitive Load Theory]] 2. [[Worked Examples]] 3. [[Expertise Reversal Effect]] 4. [[Element Interactivity]] 5. [[Split-Attention Effect]], [[Redundancy Effect]], [[Modality Effect]] ### For implementing explicit teaching: 1. [[Explicit Teaching]] 2. [[I Do]], [[We Do]] 3. [[Check For Understanding]] 4. [[Worked Examples]] 5. [[Scaffolding]] ### For improving assessment: 1. [[Retrieval Practice]] 2. [[Spacing Effect]] 3. [[Diagnostic Questions]] 4. [[Mini-Whiteboards]] 5. [[Formative Assessment]] ### For building classroom management: 1. [[Classroom Management]] 2. [[Routines]], [[Rules]], [[Norms]] 3. [[Script Language of Behaviour]] 4. [[Relationships and Regulation]] 5. [[Culture of Error]] ### For understanding mathematics teaching: 1. [[Maths Wars]] 2. [[Procedural Alongside Conceptual]] 3. [[Concrete Pictorial Abstract]] 4. [[Fluency]] 5. [[Problem-Solving]]