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Understanding How Students Learn
About this course
Introduces foundational learning theories (behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, social learning) and cognitive load, giving new teachers a working model of how students acquire, retain and transfer knowledge.
Learning outcomes
- Explain the major learning theories and identify which best explains a classroom scenario
- Apply cognitive load principles to simplify a lesson's information density
- Distinguish misconception from lack of prior knowledge in student responses
- Design a warm-up activity that activates relevant prior knowledge
- Distinguish surface-level engagement from deep learning in observed behavior
Session plan
How Memory Works
By the end of this session, you will be able to distinguish working memory from long-term memory, and explain why that distinction should shape how you design a lesson.
Comparing Learning Theories
By the end of this session, you will be able to compare behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism, and identify which lens best explains a given classroom scenario.
Cognitive Load in Lesson Design
By the end of this session, you will be able to apply cognitive load principles to simplify a lesson's information density.
Prior Knowledge & Misconceptions
By the end of this session, you will be able to distinguish a misconception from a knowledge gap in student responses, and diagnose which one you're looking at.
Motivation & Learning
By the end of this session, you will be able to distinguish intrinsic from extrinsic motivation, and identify one motivational hook already present — or missing — in your own teaching.
Assessment
| Weight | Exemplary looks like | |
|---|---|---|
| Theory application quiz | 30% | Justifies choice with evidence |
| Lesson redesign task | 40% | Redesign tested and improved with a peer |
| Reflective note | 30% | Identifies one concrete change to make |
Required readings
- Overview reading on cognitive load theory
- Comparative primer on major learning theories
- Short set of Central Asian classroom case examples (NPUU faculty)
AI integration
Teachers preview how an AI tutor explains one misconception two different ways, to see cognitive-load principles applied outside their own lesson design.