Episode #9 When Will They Learn?

This episode’s theme is “neuroscience!” Actually, it’s not, but it comes up a few times.

Greg and Caiti kick things off by unpacking a recent article discussing potential limitations of cognitive load theory. They talk about where these sit within the current cognitive load theory research.

The conversation then takes an unexpected turn into information theory. What is information? Can meaning actually be transmitted? And what is the meaning of meaning? Expect a detour into entropy, whether it might have a role to play in cognitive load theory, and an unexpected (brief) defence of PowerPoint.

Finally, Greg and Caiti dive into the much-discussed attainment grouping report from the Education Endowment Foundation and University College London on mathematics grouping. What do the findings genuinely tell us? What are the limitations? And, most importantly, what should teachers and school leaders actually do when thinking about how to group students?

Have something you want us to discuss in a future episode? Or want to find us?

Get in touch

Greg Ashman

Greg is a school leader at Ballarat Clarendon College and holds a PhD in instructional design from UNSW.

Substack – Filling the Pail

LinkedIn – Greg Ashman

X/Twitter – @greg_ashman

If you’re interested in working with Greg at Ballarat Clarendon College, please see here for open roles and expressions of interest.

Caiti Wade

Caiti is a leader of pedagogy at a boys’ secondary school in Brisbane, education consultant and is doing her doctorate in cognitive science.

Substack – The Disruptive Educator

LinkedIn – Caiti Wade

X/Twitter – @caiti_wade

Episode resources

• Beyond Cognitive Load Theory - by Dr Peter Ellerton, PhD

• The Conversation Article [comment section]: Teaching how to think is just as important as teaching anything else

• Beyond Cognitive Load Theory: Why Learning Needs More than Memory Management - Published Paper

• The Transmission Trap: What information theory tells us about teaching - Christian Moore Anderson

• OSF | Cognitive load theory and informational entropy - Greg Ashman Unpublished paper

• Student Grouping Study | EEF and UCL

• Caiti’s Substack summary of the EEF and UCL Report - attainment grouping & the eef/ucl report: choose your casualty

Acknowledgement of country

We would like to acknowledge The Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we record this podcast, the lands of the Wadawurrung People, and the lands of the Jagera and Turrbal Peoples, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.