A Community for Science-Based Learning.
Students often report re-reading as their primary study strategy. Dr. Elizabeth Bjork (UCLA) discusses how re-reading can produce a sense of familiarity with the material that can lead to “illusions of competence.” To guard against such illusions, learners should test themselves more often, which, by itself, will enhance learning. To find out more, watch this video!
Dr. Elizabeth Ligon Bjork (Ph.D., University of Michigan) is a Professor of Psychology at UCLA. Among her many accomplishments, Dr. Bjork has held faculty positions at Rockefeller University and the University of Michigan, served on the editorial board of several scientific journals, is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, and has chaired a number of committees concerned with teacher training and undergraduate education. Her research focuses on identifying ways to optimize human learning and retention.
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In 2015, Cameron Broumand, an entrepreneur and father of three living in Los Angeles, stumbled upon a media article on the science of learning. After reading the piece, he realized that the valuable research findings in cognitive psychology and the learning sciences were almost entirely unknown to the public and, more surprisingly, to teachers. How could this be?! Broumand decided to find out, so he called Dr. Robert Bjork, a distinguished research professor at UCLA and one of the world’s leading experts in human learning and memory. After an insightful conversation with Dr. Bjork about the disconnect between research and practice, Broumand recognized an opportunity to improve our educational system. Shortly thereafter, he—along with Clement Mok, an award-winning designer and digital pioneer—founded the company, Lasting Learning. The goal of the company? To provide information to the public about how the science of learning can help transform and improve the way people teach and learn. Broumand asked learning scientists, Dr. Nick Soderstrom and Saskia Giebl, M.Sc. (both of whom were in Bjork’s lab at the time), to join the team. They happily agreed and, with the help of Carri O’Neill, have been giving talks, workshops, and webinars around the country ever since. The UCLA-Lasting Learning team has had the privilege to talk with thousands of teachers, coaches, parents, students, and athletes about how they can leverage the science of learning to enhance their educational practices. We look forward to talking with many more!
