Cognitive Load Theory, Explicit Teaching, and Bringing Research Into the Classroom (with Greg Ashman)

Many education researchers spend a lot of time studying how students learn, but if their findings don’t make their way into the classroom, they are only so useful. For example, researchers have known about the benefits of phonics for decades, but despite these benefits, many teachers were not using phonics in their classrooms. So: Why don’t research-based practices make their way into the classroom? What research-based practices that aren’t currently well-known among teachers should teachers try to implement? And if a school wants to promote a research-backed approach among its teachers, how should it go about doing that? On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus discusses these questions, and more, with Greg Ashman. Nat and Greg discuss why many teachers in education programs learn about learning styles, but not phonics or behavior management; the many different meanings of explicit teaching and direct instruction; cognitive load theory and the importance of understanding the constraints of working memory; how schools can approach curriculum and teacher training more systematically; field trips, group work, and spaced repetition; the importance of creating a coherent school culture; and how to get interventions to stick. Greg Ashman is the Deputy Principal at Ballarat Clarendon College in Ballarat, Australia, and the author of three books on instructional practice. His Substack is Filling the Pail. Show Notes: Filling The Pail A Little Guide for Teachers: Cognitive Load Theory The Power of Explicit Teaching and Direct Instruction The Truth About Teaching: An Evidence-Informed Guide for New Teachers Principles of Instruction: Research-Based Strategies That All Teachers Should Know Putting Students on the Path to Learning: The Case for Fully Guided Instruction