The value of knowing how students learn

Deans for Impact, a nonprofit organization composed of leaders of educator-preparation programs throughout the U.S., believes cognitive science is an important part of an evidence-based core of knowledge that preservice teachers should possess. Member deans believe that cognitive science holds promise for improving learning and promoting the professionalization of teaching. With that in mind, Deans for Impact published a six-page white paper entitled The Science of Learning, which summarizes existing research on how students learn and connects this research to practical implications for teaching. The paper was developed in close collaboration with cognitive scientist Dan Willingham and Paul Bruno, a former middle school science teacher. The Science of Learning contains six key questions related to how students learn, with principles from cognitive science that help answer them, and lists some practical implications for teaching that follow from these scientific principles.