Psychology, Education and Neuroscience (PEN) Principles

Researchers investigating how students learn have shown that a combination of relevant visual images and spoken words greatly enhances learning outcomes. View fact sheet.

In comparison students presented with heavy textual content at the same time as spoken words, leads to poor outcomes.

These contrasting outcomes are among a series of new PEN Principles – Psychology, Education and Neuroscience – developed by the Learning Lab to assist teachers and students across the country.

Two of the Principles specifically assess how visual images and spoken words; and written text and spoken words, mix in a teaching environment.

Analysis of brain activity has revealed that when a student is looking at an image at the same time as listening to someone speak, completely different parts of the brain are activated. This means these two sections of the brain don’t interfere. In fact the research has found that having these two different neural areas activated at the same time enables the brain to attend to, understand and memorise information better.

Just as humans enjoy watching TV and movies, the combination of images and spoken words far exceeds learnings achieved through individual formats. Through mimicking film and television as much as possible, these research findings should assist teachers and lecturers develop presentations with greater inclusion of visual images to improve engagement, understanding and learning outcomes.

However, in contrast research by the Learning Lab indicates that presenting text-heavy material, such as powerpoint, chalkboard/whiteboard/blackboard and hand-out material, when used in combination with spoken words, is detrimental to learning outcomes.

Human beings can really only pay attention to one person speaking at a time, but what the Learning Lab research has found is that reading and listening to speech actually use the same region of the brain. When you are reading, to the brain this is essentially the same as speaking the words in your head. This makes it virtually impossible for the brain to properly hear and understand two things at once.

In a classroom situation, when students are presented with oral speech and written words at the same time they are forced to choose which one to fully pay attention to … and anytime they switch between the two, valuable information is lost.

From a teaching perspective, the research shows that just as including visual images into presentations enhances learning outcomes, reducing the amount of text-heavy material during lecturers and classroom discussions would be of benefit to students and improve students’ results.

Researchers investigating how students learn have shown that a combination of relevant visual images and spoken words greatly enhances learning outcomes. View fact sheet.

In comparison students presented with heavy textual content at the same time as spoken words, leads to poor outcomes.

These contrasting outcomes are among a series of new PEN Principles – Psychology, Education and Neuroscience – developed by the Learning Lab to assist teachers and students across the country.

Two of the Principles specifically assess how visual images and spoken words; and written text and spoken words, mix in a teaching environment.

Analysis of brain activity has revealed that when a student is looking at an image at the same time as listening to someone speak, completely different parts of the brain are activated. This means these two sections of the brain don’t interfere. In fact the research has found that having these two different neural areas activated at the same time enables the brain to attend to, understand and memorise information better.

Just as humans enjoy watching TV and movies, the combination of images and spoken words far exceeds learnings achieved through individual formats. Through mimicking film and television as much as possible, these research findings should assist teachers and lecturers develop presentations with greater inclusion of visual images to improve engagement, understanding and learning outcomes.

However, in contrast research by the Learning Lab indicates that presenting text-heavy material, such as powerpoint, chalkboard/whiteboard/blackboard and hand-out material, when used in combination with spoken words, is detrimental to learning outcomes.

Human beings can really only pay attention to one person speaking at a time, but what the Learning Lab research has found is that reading and listening to speech actually use the same region of the brain. When you are reading, to the brain this is essentially the same as speaking the words in your head. This makes it virtually impossible for the brain to properly hear and understand two things at once.

In a classroom situation, when students are presented with oral speech and written words at the same time they are forced to choose which one to fully pay attention to … and anytime they switch between the two, valuable information is lost.

From a teaching perspective, the research shows that just as including visual images into presentations enhances learning outcomes, reducing the amount of text-heavy material during lecturers and classroom discussions would be of benefit to students and improve students’ results.

Researchers have determined that students’ memory and performance can be boosted by simple changes to classroom presentation material … and even seating locations. View fact sheet

Applying neuroscience, cognitive psychology and educational processes, Australian researchers have determined that students presented with successive images in the same location on a blackboard/whiteboard or powerpoint display out-performed students presented with the same images in unpredictable locations. 

The Spatial Predictability Guides Attention message is among a series of new PEN Principles – Psychology, Education and Neuroscience – developed by the Learning Lab to assist teachers, students and parents across the country. 

The researchers have been assessing a range of teaching and learning processes in an effort to develop science-based strategies, tools and information designed to improve Australia’s learning and educational outcomes.

On studying spatial predictability, researchers believe that when people know where in space something is going to occur they are faster to respond to it.

Using brain scanning, neuroscientists have determined that when we know something is about to happen, the brain activity decreases, meaning our brain is working more efficiently.

This happens through ‘implicit learning’ where people are able to learn and utilise these predictable patterns without conscious effort – becoming quicker and more attentive with less brain work.

In short if a person knows, or can predict, where something will occur, they can attend to it more quickly and efficiently.

In a practical classroom sense this research suggests that providing students with predictable presentation materials – with pictures and messages in the same locations – will improve learning outcomes.

Researchers believe this spatial predictability would also flow through to classroom set-ups. By placing students in consistent seating patterns and maintaining room furniture throughout the year this is likely to reduce demands on students’ attention and allow easier, more-focused learning.

The PEN Principles have been developed in video, podcast and poster format to enable ease of use by teachers, students and parents.

With exams a near-constant in today’s classroom life the tendency for students to cram their studies into the last minute seems to be a growing phenomenon. View fact sheet

But Australian researchers applying neuroscience, cognitive psychology and educational processes have determined that while cramming may provide short-term gains, spacing out study/practice will improve long-term learning, memory and educational performance.

The Spacing-Out Practices Enhances Memory message is among a series of new PEN Principles – Psychology, Education and Neuroscience – developed by the Learning Lab to assist teachers, students and parents across the country.

These researchers have been assessing a range of teaching and learning processes in an effort to develop science-based strategies, tools and information designed to improve Australia’s learning and educational outcomes.

Their research has shown that spacing out practice not only shows improved mental performance, but also applies to the physical environment, including sporting pursuits.

Individuals can expect enhanced learning and memory if practice sessions are broken up and spread over a longer timespan than if they are all clumped together in one long practice session.

Neuroscientists have found that if learning is stretched over several short sessions, areas of the frontal control and deeper memory networks of the brain demonstrate enhanced activity.

Spacing out practice has been demonstrated to assist all students ranging from young pre-schoolers learning how to read through to university medical students learning how to perform difficult surgeries.

As a result, researchers are recommending that teachers schedule regular review sessions during a school term to revisit the previously learned material rather than rely on one large session just prior to exams or the end of term.

The PEN Principles have been developed in video, podcast and poster format to enable ease of use by teachers, students and parents.

Just as sporting teams are perceived to have an advantage when they play at their regular ‘home ground’, researchers have determined that this same benefit can flow from the classroom to improved learning outcomes. View fact sheet.

However the research has also shown that those that learn ‘away’ from one regular location can also have an advantage when it comes to testing.

Australian researchers applying neuroscience, cognitive psychology and educational processes have studied research into learning contexts to determine the benefits or otherwise of different performance locations.

The Leverage Context According to Outcome message is among a series of new PEN Principles – Psychology, Education and Neuroscience – developed by the Learning Lab to assist teachers, students and parents across the country.

These researchers have been assessing a range of teaching and learning processes in an effort to develop science-based strategies, tools and information designed to improve Australia’s learning and educational outcomes.

Their research has shown that students who prepare for an exam only in the room that the exam will take place, out-perform students who prepare for that same exam in different learning environments than where the testing will occur.

However research also shows that students who learned in a range of different locations performed better if they were placed in an unfamiliar exam environment when compared to those students not used to learning in ‘away’ locations.

Neuroscientists have seen that students who learn in a set environment demonstrate increased activity in the area of the brain linked to memory and spatial location.

The research will hopefully assist teachers get the best results for their students by adjusting learning environments depending on the testing context.

The PEN Principles have been developed in video, podcast and poster format to enable ease of use by teachers, students and parents.

OK multitaskers … can you read, watch and listen to different things at the same time? The simple answer is NO! View fact sheet

Applying neuroscience, cognitive psychology and educational processes, Australian researchers have been assessing a range of teaching and learning processes in an effort to develop science-based strategies, tools and information designed to improve Australia’s learning and educational outcomes.

On studying multitasking, researchers have determined that the brain actually switches rapidly between tasks rather than works on simultaneous actions at the one time. 

Although many people believe they can effectively do two things at once neuroscientists have shown that multitasking activates inhibitory networks within the brain suggesting the brain is actually switching between tasks rather than doing both tasks simultaneously.

When individuals try to do two things at the same time, they probably don’t realise that instead they actually jump back and forth between the two activities.

Neuroscientists say this rapid switching between tasks has been shown to activate secondary, less reliable memory networks within the brain. It is these reasons that people show impaired performance and memory when attempting to multitask.

In the classroom setting, students who have attempted to multitask have not only shown impaired performance and learning, but also reduced attention span.

This information is particularly important in a classroom environment with ever-changing technology bringing additional forms of communication into play.

The Multitasking Impairs Memory and Learning message is among a series of new PEN Principles – Psychology, Education and Neuroscience – developed by the Learning Lab to assist teachers and students across the country.

The PEN Principles have been developed in video, podcast and poster format to enable ease of use by teachers, students and parents.

Long-term learning and classroom performance can be enhanced by mixing up tasks for students rather than focusing on single concepts, according to information released by Australian researchers. fact sheet

Applying neuroscience, cognitive psychology and educational processes, researchers have been assessing a range of teaching processes in an effort to develop science-based strategies, tools and information designed to improve Australia’s learning outcomes.

The research has revealed that ‘massed practice’ – the concept of focusing on one specific task at a time – might well have short-term benefits, however it is more likely to impair long-term performance and students’ skills transfer. 

Conversely ‘interleaved practice’ – where students learn many different skills in a mixed up fashion – has been found to impair performance during immediate practice but improves long-term performance and students’ skills transfer.

Neuroscientists have proven that if practice is undertaken in an interleaved fashion, task-relevant brain areas demonstrate enhanced communication and coordination, beneficial for long-term performance.

Importantly too research has also shown that students who learned in the mixed up fashion, the interleaved practice, are more likely to also do better if presented with an unexpected task compared to those students who have learned in a massed practice way.

The Mix-Up Practice Tasks to Boost Performance message is among a series of new PEN Principles – Psychology, Education and Neuroscience – developed by the Learning Lab to assist teachers and students across the country.

The PEN Principles have been developed in video, podcast and poster format to enable ease of use by teachers, students and parents.

The well-known phrase ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try try again’ has been reinforced by Australian research which shows that is the best way to truly learn. fact sheet

While the saying dates back some 200 years, researchers analysing the latest in neuroscience, cognitive psychology and educational expertise have reinforced the notion of learning from your mistakes.

The Embrace Error to Improve Learning message is among a series of new PEN Principles – Psychology, Education and Neuroscience – developed by the Learning Lab to assist teachers, students and parents across the country.

Research has shown that while most people shy away from their errors, in most situations learning from these mistakes will actually improve future performance.

Learning Lab researchers have found that error-based learning results in enhanced long-term outcomes for students, just as it does in the general population.

Practicing the things you find difficult, the things you make mistakes at – as opposed to the things you find easy – is the only way to gain ‘meta awareness’ of personal skillsets and advance performance from novice to an expert. 

The concept of productive failure highlights that the more a student struggles, or even fails, the more likely they will be to recall, transfer and apply that information to future learning

Research also shows that high performing students chase skilled improvements from informative failures rather than from short-term rewards.

Making mistakes is likely to lead to students’ asking important questions, enhance engagement and prime them for future learning.

Researchers have determined that students would much prefer exams to be full of multiple choice questions rather than open-ended ones … but why is that? fact sheet

The simple answer is that multiple choice questioning is easier on the brain.

Applying neuroscience, cognitive psychology and educational processes, Australian researchers have found however that while multiple choice questioning might be easier for students, open-ended questions are more likely to deliver longer-term benefits and improved learning outcomes. 

The Active Recall Trumps Passive Review message is among a series of new PEN Principles – Psychology, Education and Neuroscience – developed by the Learning Lab to assist teachers, students and parents across the country.

The researchers have been assessing a range of teaching and learning processes in an effort to develop science-based strategies, tools and information designed to improve Australia’s learning and educational outcomes.

Researchers have found that multiple choice and open-ended questions test different memory systems within the brain – known as ‘recognition memory’ and ‘recall memory’. In regards to multiple choice, these types of questions trigger previous recognition exposure to the same information. Open-ended questions test recall memory which means the brain must actively retrieve information from the past with few guiding cues to help.

Brain scans have shown neuroscientists that when people are using recognition memory, there is weak neural activity in shallow memory networks of the brain, while in contrast recall memory showed stronger neural activity in deeper brain memory networks.

Importantly testing in the classroom has shown that students using active recall learning methods produced stronger long-term memory and significantly improved performance when compared to students undertaking passive review practices which trigger recognition memory networks.

The PEN Principles have been developed in video, podcast and poster format to enable ease of use by teachers, students and parents.

Much has been written over centuries, even dating back to the Ancient Greeks, about how important first impressions are on long-term relationships and decision-making thought processes. fact sheet

And Australian researchers have determined that first impressions by teachers and students can strongly influence short and long-term outcomes in the classroom, supporting the proverb “first Impressions are the most lasting”.

Applying neuroscience, cognitive psychology and educational processes, researchers have determined that first impressions, either favourable or unfavourable, will have a resulting positive or negative predisposition on a person, object or situation over an extended period. 

The First Impressions Colour Future Judgement message is among a series of new PEN Principles – Psychology, Education and Neuroscience – developed by the Learning Lab to assist teachers, students and parents across the country.

The researchers have been assessing a range of teaching and learning processes in an effort to develop science-based strategies, tools and information designed to improve Australia’s learning and educational outcomes.

The impact of first impressions has been debated for centuries with varying views published. Early 20th Century European author Frank Kafka is quoted as saying “First impressions are always unreliable”, while American diplomat Elliott Abrams is quoted as saying: “First impressions matter … we size up new people in somewhere between 30 seconds and two minutes”.

Learning Lab researchers have determined that this first impression is quickly ratified in the mind through the establishment of a ‘confirmation bias’, which entrenches the favourable or unfavourable opinion. Individuals then tend to seek out and/or interpret additional information which supports that initial opinion.

Using brain scanning, neuroscientists have determined that when we form a first impression the amygdala, the primary driver of emotions in the brain, shows strong activation. This indicates that first impressions are emotionally driven and it would take a significantly large emotional response to change that first impression.

In a practical classroom sense this research suggests teachers and students form very quick opinions which tend to last – positive or negatively. Poor first impressions have been shown to flow through to impaired classroom results in students, and even through to exam and assignment marking; while positive first impressions have shown better results in the classroom and overall learning outcomes.

The research indicates the importance for teachers of starting new subjects or class topics in a strong, positive manner as it is likely the first lesson will influence how students approach all future lessons and tasks.

The PEN Principles have been developed in video, podcast and poster format to enable ease of use by teachers, students and parents.

View fact sheet

View fact sheet