From Donna Garner

2.6.20

For parents, educators, education policymakers, and all those who are involved with the teaching of students: This research-based article (complete with numerous scientific endnotes) should be the “gold standard” because it explains how the brain works using long-term memory and short-term memory. This article was written in 2012, but the structure of the brain in 2020 has not changed. The way people learn is the same because of the cognitive functions built into the brain. The truly alarming point raised in this article is that using the wrong type of instruction with students can even cause them to regress and suffer a loss of learning.

For deep learning to take place, “teachers should provide students with clear, explicit instruction rather than merely assisting students in attempting to discover knowledge for themselves.”

“Putting Students on the Path to Learning: The Case for Fully Guided Instruction” – by Richard E. Clark, Paul A. Kirschner, and John Sweller – American Educator Spring 2012 —