Cognitive sciences, which delve into how memory, attention, understanding, and motivation work, have become a powerful tool for enhancing education. At the Shanghai French School, international school in Shanghai, our teachers are actively trained to apply insights from cognitive sciences to their teaching methods, enabling them to better support students in both primary and secondary levels.
Cognitive sciences provide valuable insights into key aspects of learning:
1. Tackling Forgetting 🧠
Research on the forgetting curve reveals that without regular review, we lose information quickly. Techniques like spaced repetition and concept mapping help combat this and enhance students’ memory retention.
💡 Spaced repetition involves scheduling regular reviews of key concepts throughout the year, with increasing gaps between each review. This method strengthens long-term memory.
💡 Concept mapping helps students organize their thoughts by linking related ideas. Connecting familiar concepts to new ones builds deeper, more lasting understanding. This approach also fosters critical thinking and strengthens argumentation skills.
2. Making Complex Ideas Clear 💭
By breaking down lessons into manageable steps, avoiding information overload, and using visual aids, teachers can make complex ideas more accessible. At the Shanghai French School, educators often divide challenging topics into smaller, digestible parts and present them step by step, often using diagrams to clarify key points.
3. Boosting Motivation and Focus 💭
Motivation and attention are essential for engaging students and keeping them invested in their learning. Cognitive sciences offer practical strategies to enhance these factors, such as incorporating collaborative projects that connect classroom learning to real-world applications.
By integrating the latest findings from cognitive sciences, our teachers are better equipped to meet the diverse needs of their students, from differentiated instruction to adapting to individual learning speeds.
Drawing from these insights, the Shanghai French School reaffirms its commitment to delivering high-quality education. Just last month, our teachers had the opportunity to participate in a training session led by renowned researcher Jean-Luc Berthier, a specialist in the cognitive sciences of learning, on the benefits of cognitive sciences in the classroom.
Embracing cognitive science techniques and weaving them into our teaching practices is an investment in empowering students to learn and thrive in our international school in Shanghai.