Richard Wheadon has nearly 20 years of teaching experience. He previously oversaw teaching and learning in a large comprehensive school and was recently awarded a Fellowship by the Chartered College of Teaching. He has presented at education conferences in the United Kingdom and abroad.

Contents

Preface

1. How Do We Learn?

a. The Role of Cognitive Science

b. Working Memory Is Limited

c. Why Do We Need to Remember?

d. Why Is Remembering So Hard?

e. Why Do Students Forget and What Can We Do About It?

f. The Importance of Schemas

g. Desirable Difficulties Dilemma

2. The Challenges with Thinking

a. The Role of Bias in Learning

b. Overcoming Bias

c. The Psychology Behind Our Statistical Blind Spots

d. Nudge Theory

e. Noise - Measuring Variability in Learning Habits

3. The Challenge of Change

a. The Curse of Self-Gratification

b. The Misunderstanding of Motivation

c. Counting What Counts: Motivation Through Measurement

d. How habits Are Born

4. Creating Learning Habits

a. Habit Loops

b. Making the Unconscious Contentious

c. Design for Success: Start Small, Shape the Space

d. The Power of Believe

e. Belonging the Missing Link in Habit Formation

f. Tipping Points

5. AI: Can We Outsource Effort Without Losing Learning?

a. The Hidden Cost of AI Convenience

b. Harnessing AI for Learning: Principles Grounded in Cognitive Science

c. Applying Cognitive Science Through Adaptive Flashcards

d. AI Tutors in Education: Promise with Precautions

e. Feedback: Why It's Not What AI Says, But What Students Do

6. The Path to Expertise: Accelerating Learning Habits

a. How Novices Think Different to Experts

b. The Case of Overconfidence

c. How Do We Make Decisions

d. Developing Better Mental Models

e. Using Scenarios to Accelerate Learning Habits

7. Conclusion

Glossary

Index