Research Through the Eyes of Teachers

How effective are the learning sciences at equipping teachers to improve student learning? For all the promising research that has been produced by learning scientists over the past three to four decades, there is surprisingly little evidence to help us answer this question. This chapter argues that as a community of learning scientists we have often missed the mark when it comes to educating educators. It provides an opportunity to examine some key trends emerging from the learning sciences over recent decades and share examples of what has and has not worked. The chapter explores potential reasons why the science of learning has so far failed to become a central component of teacher education programs and provides some examples of how this can be remedied in the future. It also points out some encouraging research that suggests lessons from the learning sciences can be successfully integrated at scale. Finally, the chapter proposes a set of challenges to the learning sciences community and all those responsible for educating educators, including lead-teachers, academics, and tertiary institutions.

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