The Jigsaw Puzzle of Learning with Sarah Cottingham, Mind the Gap, Ep. 56 (S3E12)

For this episode, special guest Sarah Cottingham joins Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner to discuss Sarah’s work and expertise in recent research, learning design, retrieval practice, neuroscience, learning schema, and professional development.

The conversation begins by exploring Sarah’s explosion onto the educational scene, her beginnings as a teacher, trying different strategies to enhance student learning, her movement into neuroscience, and her work with the Ambition Institute. A primary focus of this conversation is Sarah’s framework for neuroscience and learning which connects cutting-edge research with classroom realism.

In the second part of the episode, the trio discusses student learning, existing knowledge, teaching strategies, and professional development. 

The episode closes with a discussion on the necessity of time to explore topics. As Sarah explores, self-explanation is essential, and there are hundreds of similar strategies in which you are rehearsing the connection between new content and existing knowledge. Sarah is truly a wealth of neuroscience, learning, and teaching knowledge.

About the participants:

Sarah Cottingham is a former English educator, researcher, writer, and author. She works as the Associate Dean of Learning Design for the Ambition Institute and is a professional development consultant. She runs the Overpracticed Blog, focusing on memory, retrieval practice, and learning design. She has an ‘In Action’ book with John Catt Educational in production that will be published in 2023.  Follow Sarah on Twitter: @overpractised 

Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specializing in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. His books include Teaching WalkThrus, Rosenshine’s Principles in Action, and The Learning Rainforest Fieldbook. He regularly contributes to conferences and CPD sessions locally and nationally and is busy working in schools and colleges across the UK and around the world. Follow Tom on Twitter @teacherhead

Emma Turner joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust as the Research and CPD lead after 20 years in primary teaching. She is the founder of ‘NewEd – Joyful CPD for early-career teachers,’ a not-for-profit approach to CPD to encourage positivity amongst the profession and help to retain teachers in post. Turner is the author of Be More Toddler: A Leadership Education From Our Little Learners, Let’s Talk About Flex: Flipping the flexible working narrative for education. Follow Emma on Twitter @emma_turner75.