Harnessing the Science of Learning by Nathaniel Swain, PhD is an engaging guide for educators and leaders aiming to enhance teaching practices through evidence-based strategies. Dr Swain, a Senior Lecturer in Learning Sciences at La Trobe University, brings his extensive experience as a teacher, instructional coach, and researcher to this work, offering practical approaches for key areas of school improvement.
Read MoreA new podcast that is aiming to blow apart the misconception that explicit teaching is robotic and inflexible is set to hand teachers a ‘front row seat’ to some of the best classrooms in the world.
Launched by prominent NSW school leader Rebecca Birch and LaTrobe University senior lecturer Dr Nathaniel Swain, ‘Chalk Dust‘ will zero in on footage taken from real classrooms to unpack the seemingly subtle but highly impactful ways in which teachers are applying the science of learning.
Read MoreListen to Nathaniel Swain, a former primary teacher turned education academic, who says streaming classes by ability level is not the way to go to lift achievement.
Read MoreThe Forgetting Curve is a useful tool in understanding how best to try and remember all the learning that goes on at school - or anywhere for that matter!
Nathaniel Swain is a teacher, researcher and coach of great techniques to help children learn. In this episode he shares the importance of regular review instead of cramming for exams.
The discussion also touches on strategies for supporting young learners, the role of cultural context in education, and the need for personalised learning approaches. This episode will be useful for people of all ages who want to remember things!
Read MoreIn this episode of The Community Connection, we sit down with Dr. Nathaniel Swain, author of Harnessing the Science of Learning: Success Stories to Help Kickstart Your School Improvement. Dr. Swain, a leading expert in learning sciences, shares insights on bridging research and practice to enhance teaching and student outcomes. We explore key strategies from his book, real-world success stories, and how educators can apply cognitive science to transform their classrooms. Don’t miss this engaging conversation on the power of evidence-based teaching!
Read MoreTikTok is fuelling a certain type of classroom aesthetic which may not be conducive to learning, one researcher has warned…
La Trobe University's Dr Nathaniel Swain has previously argued that the focus should be on scaling back what’s in classrooms. The less visual ‘noise’ and distraction, the better, he's said.
Read MoreIn Season 4 | Episode 35 | We will be unpacking and discussing: How to initiate and maintain a school improvement journey based on the science of how we learn?
In this episode, we are joined by Dr Nathaniel Swain.
Read More“Interestingly, and as noted in the report, the Victorian Government is on the front foot of this recommendation and has already released a significant update to the VTLM, referred to as VTLM 2.0,” Dr Nathaniel Swain, Senior Lecturer of Learning Sciences and Learner Engagement at La Trobe University's School of Education, told The Educator.
Read MoreA trend-setting school in Melbourne’s north-east is spreading the word about a new literacy policy. The approach takes the guesswork out of learning and overturns teaching techniques that were first introduced in the 1870s.
Read MoreWhole class teaching has been wrongly deemed an out-of-date and exclusionary instructional approach, but in reality it facilitates equity in the classroom and is more effective than differentiation when done well, one expert says.
According to former primary teacher Dr Nathaniel Swain, now a senior lecturer in learning sciences at La Trobe University, too many Australian teachers do not draw upon responsive and adaptive whole class teaching as a means of catering to classes with diverse learning needs.
Read MoreDo you ever find yourself at a loss for words or battling writer’s block?
Do your colleagues or students submit writing that is unclear or riddled with grammatical errors? It's a common experience and could stem from running short on ideas.
However, this challenge also relates to the cognitive demands of writing. Writing is not just about putting words on paper; it requires a fluency in English sentence structure which many of us lack, as it typically has not been taught in school.
Read MoreEducation experts are calling on teachers to get back to basics, to help boost students' falling grades.
Read MorePamela Snow, Tanya Serry, Nathaniel Swain, Tessa Weadman, and Eamon Charles, academic staff at the La Trobe University's Science of Language and Reading (SOLAR) Lab explore some key terminology in education.
Read MoreIn Season 3 | Episode 15 | We will be unpacking and discussing: How do teachers implement a structured literacy approach in the upper grades?
Read MoreIn Season 3 | Episode 8 | We will be unpacking and discussing: How do we incorporate pedagogy that reflects the Science of Learning?
Read More…This is a wide ranging discussion that moves from what makes good writing, to The Writing Revolution, to the Write to Learn resources that Nathaniel has created with the Brandon Park Primary team. We also have a bit of fun playing around with literacy and hopefully model within this podcast the kind of fun that can be had by students too, in this space. It was a real pleasure to have Nathaniel on and I can’t wait to see the impact that Nathaniel continues to have in the coming years and decades in his new role as a teacher educator, in addition to through his wide variety of other exciting projects in the education space…
Read MoreIn 2023, NAPLAN was moved from May to March, shifted entirely online, and introduced new proficiency standards to provide earlier insights into student learning. These changes raised concerns about student stress and equity. While not commenting directly on NAPLAN, Dr. Nathaniel Swain advocates for evidence-based teaching and a knowledge-rich curriculum, aligning with the goal of using assessments to better support learning.
Read MoreToday we hear from Dr. Nathaniel Swain, a researcher and speech-language pathologist interested in language, literacy, and learning. In this episode we discuss the problems with balanced literacy … and where to go from here. This was such a fun conversation!
Read MoreDr Nathaniel Swain reflects on how and why his preferred method of supporting struggling learners in classrooms has shifted from individual learning intervention and differentiated groups to robust whole class instruction at tier 1 that allows struggling learners to realise their academic potential through repeated exposure to more of the same excellent quality instruction as their peers.
Read MoreIs the size of your child's class the optimal size for learning? Are they being given the kind of homework evidence says is useful, if evidence says homework is useful at all?
These are the kinds of questions being asked by a national body set up to make sure Australian schools are using as much evidence-based practice as possible. Their first report is out now.
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