Short 🧵on Learning and Memory in the brain:
'Neuroplasticity' is everywhere, but what do we really mean when we talk about the ever-changing brain?
Let's dive deeper than the buzzword and explore the evidence with a model. 2. Cognitive neuroscience uses simplified network models like this to demonstrate how learning & memory might work at the network level.

Nodes represent neurons, lines their connections (synapses), and the patterns - bits of our knowledge.

1 How should we use Generative AI for Academic teaching?
The answer, imo, is in cognitive science, as the human learning process is both the goal and the limiting factor in this journey.
A🧵
#HigherED #GenAI #CogSci 2 How can GenAI be used in academic teaching? Which skills will become obsolete? Is academic teaching going to change completely?
So many questions as we are perplexed by the GenAI Stuns.
However, we have some powerful tools to think about it rationally:

1/ This book and this app have convinced me, through theory and practice,
how important it is to include habit formation in every educational program or plan, at any level 🧵🤓 2/ We are naturally biased against investing in habit formation, as it is mostly unconscious and long-term.
We are way more easily convinced by logical reasoning for behavioural change:
setting goals, finding willpower, and boosting motivation, all seem compelling, but…

1/ What is the role of errors in learning? And what is an error, really?

The “Derring Effect”- making errors deliberately to improve learning, is newly described by Wong & Lim (2022).
It triggered some thoughts around errors, nerd out with me 🤓🧵: 2/ First, the evidence: following studying a short academic text, a practice session that included making errors deliberately and then correcting them (in writing) was more effective, when measured with an application test than several carefully designed control groups:

Yesterday at @researchEDWarr I tried to make the point that the “love story" between cognitive science and education is exciting because it has reached the point where it’s not just about isolated “quality ingredients”, but about the entire “dish” and even a whole “meal”. I’ve put 4 things on the table, 4 points that I find central and essential for making cog sci useful in education

Learning how to learn & teach
It’s been a ~decade of accelerating bidirectional communication between cognitive science and classroom teaching. And it seems that the field is ready for a leap forward. Some thoughts on the basis of recent selected key publications🧵⬇️ 2 This great literature review by @ShanaKCarpenter, @StevenCPan & Andrew Butler (2022) highlights the evidence regarding the most effective practice strategies #RetrievalPractice and #SpacedPractice. In addition… ➡️

https://twitter.com/StevenCPan/status/1554825685557841922?s=20&t=Fa9Sy6jjKcXPjAU9IHdYqQ

1/ How Predicting is different from guessing? and from practicing retrieval? All three strategies are based on generating a response based on semantic elaboration, but how do they differ, and why prediction is worth special attention as a standalone strategy? A thread: 2/ In this new paper @garvin_brod suggests that Prediction deserves the attention, of both teachers and researchers, as an effective strategy for learning, and I agree. Why?

https://twitter.com/garvin_brod/status/1375416064088084491?s=20