Learning Science

In simple terms Cognitive load is how much a task demands of working memory at any one moment. Working memory is the small, short-lived store you actually think in, and when demand exceeds it, learning does not slow down, it stops. The limits are severe. Only a few new elements can be processed at a

Constructivism is a learning theory holding that learners actively build their own understanding of new information by connecting it to existing knowledge and experience, rather than passively absorbing facts transmitted directly by a teacher. Piaget’s cognitive constructivism Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget laid much of the theoretical groundwork for constructivism through his research on how children’s

Dual coding theory holds that the human mind processes and stores information using two separate but interacting systems, a verbal system for processing words and language, and a visual system for processing images and spatial information, and that combining both channels for the same material produces stronger learning and memory than relying on either one

Growth mindset is the belief that abilities such as intelligence and talent can be developed over time through effort, effective strategies, and feedback, in contrast to a fixed mindset, the belief that such abilities are largely static traits a person either has or lacks. Carol Dweck’s research Psychologist Carol Dweck developed the concept through decades

Metacognition is the awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes, often described simply as thinking about thinking. It covers both knowledge about how one learns and the active regulation of that learning in real time. Origins of the term Developmental psychologist John Flavell is widely credited with introducing the term metacognition into psychological and

Multiple intelligences is a theory proposing that human intelligence is not a single general ability but a set of distinct, relatively independent capacities, each reflecting a different way of processing information and solving problems. Howard Gardner’s original framework Developmental psychologist Howard Gardner introduced the theory in his 1983 book Frames of Mind: The Theory of

In simple terms Retrieval practice is deliberately pulling information out of memory in order to learn it, rather than putting more information in. Answering a question from memory, closing the book and writing down what you can recall, working through flashcards: all retrieval. The counterintuitive part is that it beats rereading, which is the method

In psychology, a schema is a mental framework that organizes and interprets information based on prior knowledge and experience, allowing a person to process new information efficiently by fitting it into existing categories rather than evaluating every detail from scratch. The concept was introduced in different forms by psychologist Frederic Bartlett in the 1930s, through

In simple terms Spaced repetition means returning to the same material several times with gaps in between, instead of studying it all in one go. The finding behind it is called the spacing effect: repetitions spread out in time tend to produce stronger memories than repetitions packed close together. How it works Researchers contrast spaced

The spacing effect is the well-documented finding that people remember information better and for longer when study sessions covering that information are spread out over time rather than crammed into a single, concentrated session. The effect was first documented experimentally by psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus in the late nineteenth century through his pioneering studies of memory