# Harnessing the Science of Learning

## Metadata
- Author: [[Nathaniel Swain]]
- Full Title: Harnessing the Science of Learning
- Category: #books
## Highlights
###### ID 833136819
> Dr Nathaniel Swain, a teacher and teacher educator, has seen what educational failure looks like, having spent more than five years teaching and researching how to support disengaged learners sucked into the infamous school-to-prison pipeline. ([Location 223](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0DB2N7QF8&location=223))
- Note: About the author of Harnessing the Science of Learning.
## New highlights added April 5, 2025 at 7:13 PM
###### ID 873334664
> A lesser-known fact is that there are no known limitations of our long-term memory (Sweller, 2016). ([Location 1189](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0DB2N7QF8&location=1189))
- Note: This is because our mind is infinitely expansive.
###### ID 873334665
> Kirschner, Sweller, and Clarke (2006) define learning as a change in long-term memory. If something has not changed in long-term memory, then learning has not happened. ([Location 1199](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0DB2N7QF8&location=1199))
- Note: This is the basis of learning in schools. Which I would say is insufficient.
###### ID 873334666
> Unfortunately, other than evolved skills such as how to speak our first language, information cannot go straight from the environment to our memories (although that would be the epitome of information overload). Instead, learning from the environment is hampered by two important buffers: (1) attention and (2) working memory. ([Location 1202](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0DB2N7QF8&location=1202))
- Note: Should not the science of learning how to speak our first language be examined more as it is the most universal learning of all?
###### ID 873334667
> Working memory is where we do our active thinking, and while it is a power-ful part of our cognitive architecture, it is also incredibly limited. The magic number of items that can be held in working memory is fiercely debated, but for some individuals it can be as low as two to three items, and others mostly between three and five (Cowan, 2010). ([Location 1217](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0DB2N7QF8&location=1217))
###### ID 873334668
> Breaking learning tasks down into bite-size pieces, so that each component of a task can be taught, practised, and mastered before it is connected with another component or chunk ([Location 1240](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0DB2N7QF8&location=1240))
- Note: Breaking learning into manageable chunks is important if you are teaching specific, retrievable knowledge and facts.
###### ID 873334669
> Cognitive load refers to how much working memory capacity is used up when completing on a task, remembering that anything can take some of our working memory. Cognitive load theory (see Sweller et al., 2019) is a way of conceptualising how a learner will interact with a task, how their working memory is likely to be under- or over-used, and what instructional designers can do to optimise this. ([Location 1271](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0DB2N7QF8&location=1271))
- Note: Optimizing for the learning that the teacher determines is valuable. What could be a different way to determine what is valuable? Memorizing the definitions of character-based words is not the same as living a life of character.
###### ID 873334670
> Extraneous load is cognitive load to do with the manner and structure in which the information is presented. This refers to anything we use to provide the information (intentional or otherwise) which takes students’ working memory away from the task at hand. It also comprises any other aspects in the learner’s purview that could detract from learning (including internal distractors like other competing thoughts, or external distractors in the environment). ([Location 1287](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0DB2N7QF8&location=1287))
- Note: Extrinsic load is what explicit teaching tries to control, understanding that it can’t control for intrinsic load.
###### ID 873334671
> Yes, experts in a field will consult external information sources to cross-check and complement their long-term memory, but they are critical consumers of this information because of what’s in their long-term memory (Hirsch, 2000). ([Location 1344](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0DB2N7QF8&location=1344))
- Note: Proponents of science of learning seem to believe that they alone hold the key to getting knowledge into minds. This is not the whole truth. There are many ways to get knowledge, and prior knowledge is the start of all learning is accurate.
###### ID 873334672
> biologically primary knowledge. This knowledge is passed on with minimal or no effort through immersion and exposure. It is easy to learn this kind of knowledge, as limits of cognitive load do not apply here. Fundamental knowledge that is innate or develops early in life, such as language acquisition or recognising faces Classic examples of this kind of knowledge include: mastering your first language; finding your way around your local environment; or recognising faces. ([Location 1374](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0DB2N7QF8&location=1374))
- Note: biologically primary knowledge, passed on easily.
###### ID 873334673
> biologically secondary knowledge, which is the understandings that have only been important for humans in our recent evolutionary past. ([Location 1379](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0DB2N7QF8&location=1379))
###### ID 873334674
> Cognitive load theory is primarily concerned with the acquisition of biologically secondary knowledge (Paas & Sweller, 2012). Thus, if not properly managed, material from the subjects of school will most certainly overload the working memories of our students. ([Location 1384](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0DB2N7QF8&location=1384))
- Note: Biologically secondary knowledge is what they focus on. Not primary biological knowledge. Certainly not spiritual knowledge.