Cognitive science unlocks new learning potentials // what the hack CS is?)
Cognitive science is sparking a transformative shift in mathematics education, challenging traditional teaching methods. The discipline, focused on understanding how the human brain learns, advocates for incorporating “desirable difficulties” in learning, such as mixed-task approaches, to enhance retention and understanding. Despite evidence supporting these approaches, the traditional paradigms persist, relying on repetitive tasks. Educators like Colin Foster are developing materials that bridge the gap between cognitive science and classroom practice. By embracing cognitive science principles, such as mixed-task learning and the use of analogies and gestures, mathematics education aims to become more accessible and equitable, addressing educational inequalities. The future holds the promise of a more effective and brain-aligned approach to teaching mathematics.
The article discusses the potential revolution in mathematics education through the application of cognitive science principles. It emphasizes the concept of ‘desirable difficulties,’ suggesting that incorporating various challenging tasks can enhance retention and understanding. The article highlights the slow adoption of these principles in traditional teaching materials, creating a gap between known effective practices and classroom implementation.
Moreover, cognitive science in math education has the potential to address educational inequalities. By designing materials based on cognitive science principles, such as using diagrams and introducing challenges strategically, students from disadvantaged backgrounds can have a more equitable learning experience. This approach supports overcoming learning barriers and enables teachers to respond to diverse student needs.
The integration of cognitive science faces challenges in teacher training, textbook writing, and classroom structure. Despite these obstacles, the benefits for student learning and engagement are significant. The article envisions a future with more effective learning strategies, improved outcomes for students of all backgrounds, and a transformative shift in how math is taught and understood.
The journey toward revolutionizing mathematics education through cognitive science is ongoing. The article encourages educators, policymakers, and researchers to explore and implement these principles for a promising future in math education. Bridging the gap between cognitive science and classroom practice could create an engaging, effective, equitable, and inclusive learning environment for all students.
Most mathematics assignments consist of a group of problems requiring the same strategy. For example, a lesson on the quadratic formula is typically followed by a block of problems requiring students to use that formula, which means that students know the appropriate strategy before they read each problem. In an alternative approach, different kinds of problems appear in an interleaved order, which requires students to choose the strategy on the basis of the problem itself. In the classroom-based experiment reported here, grade 7 students (n = 140) received blocked or interleaved practice over a nine-week period, followed two weeks later by an unannounced test. The mean test scores were greater for material learned by interleaved practice rather than by blocked practice (72 % vs. 38 %, d = 1.05). This interleaving effect was observed even though the different kinds of problems were superficially dissimilar from each other, whereas previous interleaved mathematics studies had required students to learn nearly identical kinds of problems. We conclude that interleaving improves mathematics learning not only by improving discrimination between different kinds of problems, but also by strengthening the association between each kind of problem and its corresponding strategy.
