The May 2020 issue of ASCD’s Educational Leadership is all about learning and the brain, a topic that’s near and dear to McREL. Our Bryan Goodwin and Darienne Dey contributed a Research Matters column that encourages educators to consider knowledge about how learning happens as they design lessons—knowledge that, they say, has been “hidden in plain view” for decades.
Starting with the widely accepted “information processing” model of learning, McREL has developed a six-phase model that follows the journey that new information must take in our brains to become embedded in our long-term memory. By identifying the points where memory and knowledge changes en route, the model offers opportunities for teachers to influence the course of events, creating deeper, more durable learning. The phases are:
- 1. Become interested
- 2. Commit to learning
- 3. Focus on new learning
- 4. Make sense of learning
- 5. Practice and reflect
- 6. Extend and apply
Read the Educational Leadership article and for a fuller treatment of the McREL learning model, see Learning That Sticks, due out from ASCD on June 5.
