This is Episode 13 of PsychCrunch, the podcast from the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology. Download here.
Can psychology help us to learn better? Our presenter Christian Jarrett discovers the best evidence-backed strategies for learning, including the principle of spacing, the benefits of testing yourself and teaching others. He also hears about the perils of overconfidence and the lack of evidence for popular educational ideas like “learning styles” and “brain gym”.
Our guests, in order of appearance, are: Nate Kornell, associate professor at Williams College; Paul Howard-Jones, author of Evolution of the Learning Brain (find out more) and professor of neuroscience and education at the University of Bristol; and Abby Knoll, doctoral student at Central Michigan University.
Background reading for this episode:
- It feels as though we learn better via our preferred learning style, but we don’t
- “Another nail in the coffin for learning styles” – students did not benefit from studying according to their supposed learning style
- The secret to remembering material long-term
- How to study
- Learning by teaching others is extremely effective – a new study tested a key reason why
- Physically active academic school lessons boost pupils’ activity levels and focus
- Engaging lecturers can breed overconfidence
- ‘The story of learning begins with the story of life’
- From brain scan to lesson plan
Episode credits: Presented and produced by Christian Jarrett. Mixing and editing Jeff Knowler. PsychCrunch theme music Catherine Loveday and Jeff Knowler. Art work Tim Grimshaw.
Subscribe and download via iTunes.
Subscribe and download via Stitcher.
Subscribe and listen on Spotify.
Past episodes:
Episode one: Dating and Attraction
Episode two: Breaking Bad Habits
Episode three: How to Win an Argument
Episode four: The Psychology of Gift Giving
Episode five: How To Learn a New Language
Episode six: How To Be Sarcastic 😉
Episode seven: Use Psychology To Compete Like an Olympian.
Episode eight: Can We Trust Psychological Studies?
Episode nine: How To Get The Best From Your Team
Episode ten: How To Stop Procrastinating
Episode eleven: How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Episode twelve: How To Be Funnier
PsychCrunch is sponsored by Routledge Psychology.
Routledge interviewed PsychCrunch presenter Christian Jarrett about the aims of the podcast and engaging with the public about psychology research.
This was very informative and interesting. Are there transcripts available for deaf/hard of hearing colleagues?
LikeLike
Hello.have listened to your studying mode and have seem it very interesting and helpful.and am interested in it.
Thank you
LikeLike