6 Steps by the Evidence Based Teachers Network

CPD: Cognitive Science Level 2, topic 2.1.1

Evidence Based Teachers Network (0-2)

The Evidence Based Teachers Network recommends a 6-step plan for effective teaching and learning in the classroom.

The first step, which they call 0, is orientation.
What is the context of a particular teaching?
Not all techniques will work in all contexts and it is important to have clear aims and outcome measurements in place before starting the interventions.

Teachers need to revisit prior lessons and content to help students create connections between prior knowledge and new knowledge.
It is important that students have mastered one piece of knowledge before they can move on to the next.
In our Level 1 course, we cover Dr Efrat’s neural model of learning, which explains the importance of connections and prior knowledge.

Explicit teaching is a great tool, especially when is done in certain ways.
For example, dual coding tells us that it is easier for the brain to process and remember information when we combine words and visual models.
Chunking information is also interesting since our working memory is limited and can only juggle so many pieces of information at a time.

The Evidence Based Teachers Network recommends a 6-step plan for effective teaching and learning in the classroom.

As we know from Robert Bjork, desirable difficulties increase learning (This was covered in details in the 1st level of this course).
When students struggle to overcome a problem, their learning and retention are improved.
The tricky thing is to find the right balance. If the difficulty is so extreme that students keep failing, learning is harmed.
We can help students by using scaffolding and worked examples until they become more proficient in that task and can be more independent.

With good feedback, teachers can check students’ learning and progress as they go - and not only afterwards.
Good feedback should mention what parts of the student’s answer is correct and which part should be improved or modified - and why.

After feedback is given, students need to have the opportunity to act on it. They need to understand the feedback and how to make changes.
More than that, the use of retrieval and spaced practice will help students to secure the correct information in their brains.

What are the steps for effective teaching according to the Evidence Based Teachers Network?