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1-Page Summary of How Learning Works

The application of seven principles leads to more effective teaching and learning.

When learning, students should change their beliefs or behaviors. They may have different backgrounds and they’ll interpret the material differently. Every student needs to be challenged in order to learn effectively. Students need goals and quality feedback from teachers if they’re going to succeed in school.

This section will discuss the seven principles of learning. These skills can be grouped into these categories:

1. “Students’ prior knowledge affects their learning.”

Students may have problems when they lack the necessary knowledge or are not prepared for what’s coming. They could know some things, but not how to apply them in a new situation. Or they might have incorrect information that affects their ability to learn something completely new.

People learn best when they are able to connect what they already know to new learning. For example, many students know local sports stars and can remember them more easily than non-local sports stars if given facts about the ones they already knew.

College students who understand one subject in a class may not remember it when they take another course unless their teacher reminds them. For example, statistics and finance majors could learn more if they drew on each other’s knowledge to answer questions. Teachers should point out connections between subjects for their students to draw from while answering questions.

Students might also have trouble learning something new if they know it from another context. For example, parents can get confused when a teacher explains “negative reinforcement” in psychology class because they associate the concept with punishment. Teachers should use examples to help students learn better. For example, parents who promise not to nag their children about cleaning their rooms will see that the kids are more likely to clean them on their own without being asked or told to do so.

Students might have false information, but that doesn’t mean they should be ignored. The teacher needs to present evidence or do experiments in order to disprove the student’s misconception. To correct these misconceptions, teachers need to assess students’ prior knowledge and weaknesses so that they can design lessons accordingly.

2. The way students organize knowledge in their minds helps them retrieve and apply it.

Students often have trouble connecting knowledge and using it to build on their skills. They might know the British defeated the Spanish Armada, but they won’t be able to explain why that’s important relative to another event a decade later in a different part of the world. Students also might not be able to describe how organs regulate blood pressure.

Students can remember more information when they make connections between things. When students connect the dots and create a mental model, they will be able to apply what they’ve learned in other areas of their lives. The instructor should put his or her understanding on paper so that students can see how everything fits together.

3. “Students’ motivation generates, directs and sustains what they do to learn.”

To motivate learners, instructors need to create a value system that gives students an idea of how their learning will help them achieve their goals. Students should be able to see the connection between what they’re learning and achieving those goals, whether it’s getting good grades so they can get into graduate school or maintaining a reputation for intelligence or achievement. The instructor must explain how the course teaches real-world skills and why it pertains to future careers.