Welcome to Week 3 of the Science of Learning course for teachers! This week we will be examining how to help students learn more effectively based on the learning principles we studied in Weeks 1 and 2. This will include the concept of cognitive load and its implications, the pros and cons of multitasking, ways to motivate young learners, and several specific learning strategies that can be used in a variety of educational contexts. As we hope to do throughout the course, we’ll then ask questions for you to reflect on about how you can apply your developing understanding regarding the science of learning to your own teaching practices.

We also encourage you to continue to participate in our discussion forums to ask questions and share insights and ideas. You will be part of an online community from all over the world and we think sharing the diversity of our collective experiences as teachers will enrich the learning of us all.

In addition, we will include a new form of reflection and assessment this week. We will ask you to write a brief essay about how you might use in your own teaching what we are studying concerning student learning strategies and then you will get feedback from peers taking the course. Once you compose and submit your essay, you will be asked to provide feedback to three Science of Learning peers using a rubric and you will also receive feedback on your essay from at least two participants.

Now let's begin Week 3 of the Science of Learning!