The ANSWER to Improving Student Learning

    Last week I was doing research for my podcast on cognitive science; more specifically, I was looking at how our emotions are connected to our learning.  Predictably, I went down a rabbit hole and bounced around several topics related to this one.  

    One article that stuck in my memory was titled: "How Can We Amplify Student Learning? The ANSWER from Cognitive Psychology."  It was written by doctors Kevin Yee and Diane Boyd and was published on June 18th, 2018.

    It seems like the authors approach learning from the triune brain perspective.  That is, Yee and Boyd write about stimulating the hippocampus (part of the limbic system) and the neocortex to form strong neural pathways.  The result of this is better knowledge transfer from short-term to long-term memory and more effective recall of information.  

    Using this knowledge of cognitive function, the authors provide several tips for educators to use in course design, lesson planning, and assessment.  They provide the acronym ANSWER with brief descriptions to make it easier for educators to use (as opposed to sifting through the mire of published research on cognition and learning).  I have summarized their tool below:

Attention

    Memory needs focus (i.e. no multitasking) and using different senses increases the
strength of neural networks.  

Source: livescience.com

Examples:

• taking notes by hand
• handling samples/equipment.

Novelty 

    New/different events increase retention.  

Source: postertemplate.co.uk

Examples:

• mixing text, images, and videos in a presentation
• using multiple choice, labeling diagrams, short answer, and other types of questions
• using metaphors (i.e. plants can only take up nutrients at a certain pH, that is like you sitting in front of a plate of food but you can't eat it because you have no utensils)
  

Spacing 

    Also known as 'distributed practice', allowing processing time in between batches of information.  

Examples:

• 

  Source: health.harvard.edu

  introduce some information, use activities to integrate it, and wait until the next class to provide more information.  This is rather than giving all the information at once and then utilizing it all at once later.
• providing introductory information before the lab so students can review it over a few days and arrive with questions and/or an understanding of their tasks

Why 

    Knowing why something is done a certain way, or why we need to know information provides learners with context and meaning.  This triggers associative memory.  

Examples:

• start an activity by explaining the reasons for the method or the history that led to it

  

  source: ted.com

• ask the students why this might be important (provide some mystery for them to solve)
• provide a problem at the beginning that the students would be able to solve by the end of the activity
  

Emotions 

    Emotions and short-term memory are processed in the hippocampus, so stimulating the hippocampus with emotions (i.e. enjoyment, intrigue) can help knowledge move to long-term memory more efficiently.  

Examples:

• create a game out of a task
• choose activities that promote playful interaction 
• associate problems with emotions (i.e. use emoticons in a presentation: sick plants = 😢sad face, fertilizer = 😀 happy face, pests = 😡angry face)

Repetition 

    Neural synapses formed by new information degrade unless they are used, so the more times this information is reviewed, the stronger the synapses become and the easier it is to recall.  

Examples:

• 

  Source: retrievalpractice.org

  small quizz
  es over the semester that make students recall the information more than once
• the use of flashcards and other visual representations of the information

    Utilizing some, or ideally all, of the letters above not only triggers the brain to process the learning more effectively, it also increases learner engagement by creating interest.  An increase in memory processing and in learner engagement naturally leads to long-term learning. 

    I can think of lesson plans which could be improved with any of the activities listed above, and I plan to encourage the use of them whenever possible.  I don't know about THE answer but I have found AN answer in regards to learning and cognition (pun intended).

Reference:

Yee, K. & Boyd, D. (2018). How Can We Amplify Student Learning? The 

ANSWER from Cognitive Psychology. Faculty Focus online.  June 18th, 2018.  https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/how-can-we-amplify-student-learning-the-answer-from-cognitive-psychology/?utm_campaign=Faculty%20Focus&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=63740850&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8ku8l0ELPJnHOT-T6XS6DI8LTE9avLf2VPnutd438kPHi4rq35iYUErV1JS4cta1H_M_aLSQBoGNGh5V1RqTgSabybpA&_hsmi=63740850