Welcome To
WHAT EVERY TEACHER SHOULD KNOW
This education course will show you, through current research, how we learn — the way our brain makes, stores, and retrieves memories.
You will examine common misconceptions and misunderstandings about learning that can prevent students from learning at their fullest capacity. Along the
This course is aimed to enhance the practice of K-12 teachers
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:
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How the brain encodes memories, stores them, and retrieves them for later use.
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Why working memory is so important for learning and ways to prevent it from getting overloaded.
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Strategies for making memories that “stick” and can be readily recalled when needed.
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Misconceptions that many students have about learning and ways to correct them.
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How student mindsets and beliefs about learning can help or hinder their academic success.
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How to help students become independent and self-regulated learners so they can lead their own learning.
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Teaching strategies and assessment techniques that maximize student learning.
ABOUT EDSCI1X
COURSE OUTLINE
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Section 1 |
Teacher Nicole Brittingham Furlonge, English Teacher, Grades 9-12 Topics Learning in Schools Understanding How Memory Works Working Memory Connecting Prior Knowledge Making Memories Retrieving Memories |
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Section 2 |
Teacher Ted Ogden, English Teacher, Grades 6-12 Topics Taking the Student’s Perspective Importance of Growth Mindsets and Learning Developing Growth Mindsets Sense of Belonging |
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Section 3 |
Teacher Kari Ostrem, MfA Master Math Teacher, Grades 9-12 Topics Cognitive Load Multitasking Motivation Learning to Learn |
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Section 4 |
Teacher Lily Diamond, Teacher, 5th Grade Topics The Science of Learning and Effective Teaching Strategies Feedback and Teaching Retrieval Practice Spacing and Interleaving Metacognition |
VIDEOS
The four-section course is comprised of 4-7 video lectures that are 5 - 12 minutes long. The videos can be watched at various speeds and with or without closed captioning. Additionally, downloadable transcripts are available for each video lecture and run simultaneously to the left of the video.
The videos will feature guest teachers from various schools in the United States invited to deliver lectures co-written by Dr. Pearl Rock Kane and Dr. Kevin Mattingly, professors at Teachers College, Columbia University. Interviews with these teachers will provide personal anecdotes on what has worked for them and what they have found challenging.
ACTIVITIES AND TOOLS
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Discussion Forum: Will help us discuss, debate, and build community. Please review the discussion guidelines before posting. Use [STAFF] in the subject of each post that needs attention from a course team member. Please see the edX Learner's Guide for detailed information on how to make the most of edX discussions.
- Teams: Science of Learning Teams are groups of up to 20 students who meet regularly in-person or virtually to review and discuss the course, and explore the concepts of the course together. Although students are encouraged to participate in discussions within the edX forums, joining a Team allows for deeper and more personal engagement with the course and with other students. See our EDSCI1x Team Leader Guide for more information.
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Self-Checks: Formative assessments that follow video segments test your understanding of core concepts.
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Teacher Journal: A place for you to keep reflections and responses for your insights and applications we hope you will be able to use later in your own classroom practice. We will use the Notes function of edX as our journal. Sometimes we will provide "prompts" for you to respond to yet you can use your Teaching Journal at
anytime to record your thoughts and ideas. -
Weekly Progress Chart: Will help you keep track of your progress by showing your completed assessments and scores.
ASSESSMENT AND GRADING
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Section Quizzes |
40% |
Four section quizzes assess your knowledge of the content for each topic. The lowest scoring quiz will be dropped. |
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Self-Reflections |
20% |
Five self-reflections appear throughout the course to give you an opportunity to think more deeply about concepts and evaluate your reflections. A rubric for scoring of self-reflections is below. |
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Final Exam |
40% |
One final exam will assess your understanding of major concepts covered. |
Self-Reflection Rubric
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Description |
2 Proficient |
1 Developing |
0 Lacking |
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Relevance to Your Teaching Practice: Discuss the relevance of the topic to your students and teaching practice |
This response contains discussion of the relevance of the topic to your students and teaching practice in an in-depth and detailed way |
This response contains discussion of the relevance of the topic to your students and teaching practice, but lacks depth and detail in some areas |
Response does not discuss or address the topic relevance to your teaching practice |
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Application: Does the response provide an example of classroom application? |
This response contains a clear and specific example of what seems to be a feasible application |
This response contains an example of a classroom application, but it is difficult to determine or not stated clearly |
Response does not discuss or address a classroom application |