When
Veronica Yan
Associate Professor
Department of Educational Psychology
University of Texas, Austin
Promising Learning Strategies from the Cognitive Sciences…And their Underutilization
Abstract:Educational policies often fail to take into account learning theories and they also often produce very small effects that often fail to replicate. In contrast, experiments based on the cognitive psychology of learning often produce much larger and more replicable effects. This suggests that the science of learning has the potential to revolutionize educational practice. I focus on one promising principle as an illustrative example—interleaved practice—and describe both the laboratory and field research behind it. I also, however, highlight the difficulties of translating cognitive principles into generalizable practice.