How Clear Lesson Goals Help Students Direct Their Attention

How Clear Lesson Goals Help Students Direct Their Attention

Imagine walking into a classroom and hearing, “Today we’re going to learn about ecosystems.” That gives you a topic, but it does not tell you exactly what you should pay attention to. Should you remember vocabulary? Understand food chains? Compare habitats? Explain how organisms depend on each other? Now imagine the teacher says, “By the … Read more

How Working Memory Supports Learning in the Classroom

How Working Memory Supports Learning in the Classroom

Imagine a student trying to solve a maths problem while remembering the teacher’s instructions, keeping several numbers in mind, and deciding which formula to use. Another student is reading a paragraph while trying to connect the first sentence with information that appears several lines later. Both are relying heavily on working memory. Working memory is … Read more