Good teaching is mainly about delivering content Urban Myths about Learning & Education

The idea that effective teaching is simply about transmitting information from an expert to a student has long dominated education. What does cognitive science actually say about this?

In Urban Myths about Learning and Education, the authors challenge the idea that effective teaching is simply about transmitting information. Drawing on research in cognitive science and educational psychology, the chapter highlights that learning is most effective when teaching is structured, interactive, and supported through feedback and guided practice.

One important insight is that feedback has the greatest impact when it helps students improve and reflect, rather than simply evaluating performance. Hattie and Timperley (2007) distinguish different forms of feedback, including task-oriented, process-oriented, and self-regulatory feedback. Another key principle is that students learn more effectively when new material is presented in small steps, with opportunities for guided practice and questioning (Rosenshine, 2012). Asking questions and checking for understanding help students connect new knowledge to prior learning.

The chapter also highlights the importance of concrete examples and storytelling. Learners tend to remember information more easily when abstract concepts are connected to real-life situations or meaningful narratives (Schank & Abelson, 1995). Finally, the authors emphasise that learning also requires breaks, variation, and time for processing information. Attention decreases over time, and students benefit from moments of reflection and cognitive pause during learning activities (Ashley & Pearson, 2012).

Rosenshine’s 10 Practical Principles for Teaching

1. Review previous learning regularly to strengthen memory and connect new knowledge to prior understanding.
2. Present new material in small steps so students are not cognitively overloaded.
3. Ask questions frequently to encourage active participation and reflection.
4. Provide models and worked examples to demonstrate how problems can be approached and solved.
5. Guide student practice before expecting students to work fully independently.
6. Check for understanding regularly to identify misconceptions early.
7. Support students in achieving success by creating manageable learning challenges.
8. Provide scaffolds for difficult tasks, such as prompts, frameworks, or partial solutions.
9. Encourage independent practice so students can build confidence and automaticity.
10. Include weekly and monthly review to strengthen long-term retention of knowledge

References

• Ashley, S., & Pearson, J. (2012). When more equals less: Overtraining inhibits perceptual learning owing to lack of wakeful consolidation. Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological Sciences, 279(1745), 4143–4147.
• Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81–112.
• Rosenshine, B. (2012). Principles of instruction: Research-based strategies that all teachers should know. American Educator, 36(1), 12–19.
• Schank, R. C., & Abelson, R. P. (1995). Knowledge and memory: The real story. In R. S. Wyer Jr. (Ed.), Knowledge and memory (pp. 1–85). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.