{"id":1666,"date":"2019-10-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-23T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/blog\/new-innovation-spotlight-episode-education-policy-and-the-learning-sciences-with-natalie-truong\/"},"modified":"2022-11-04T16:07:22","modified_gmt":"2022-11-04T20:07:22","slug":"new-innovation-spotlight-episode-education-policy-and-the-learning-sciences-with-natalie-truong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/blog\/new-innovation-spotlight-episode-education-policy-and-the-learning-sciences-with-natalie-truong\/","title":{"rendered":"New Innovation Spotlight Episode \u2013 Education Policy and the Learning Sciences with Natalie Truong"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

Emerging knowledge from the learning sciences provides evidence and insights into the dynamic nature of learning, child development, motivation, and cognition. School leaders can harness this knowledge base to create a new vision of how to best support student learning in K-12 education systems. However, the policy environment to support such transformation is not in perfect alignment with the learning sciences.<\/p>\n

iNACOL Policy Director Natalie Truong recently sat down to talk about bringing education policy and the science of learning and development into alignment with Courtney Belolan and Matthew Shea, hosts of the iNACOL Innovation Spotlight podcast series.<\/p>\n

\u201cPolicy can play a supportive role in framing the expectations for teaching and learning,\u201d Truong said. \u201cThrough policy, we can work to create the conditions that are conducive to how students learn best. For example, we can create the conditions that enable schools and districts to design a vision for student success that is grounded in how learning and development happens. But unfortunately, our education systems are built on outdated models of teaching and learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

“Learning is a very active process,” Truong said. “Learning is done by\u2014not ‘to’ or ‘for’\u2014students. The traditional ‘stand-and-deliver’ instructional approach stands in direct contrast with what we now know about how students learn best. ‘Sitting-and-getting’ for students bypasses the need for engaged learning, matched with their motivation, goals, and interests, along with their prior knowledge and different backgrounds. Redesigning curricula to account for these new insights is essential.”<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why personalized learning and student-centered learning are so important. [They] give students agency and power in terms of their voice and choice,\u201d said Truong.<\/p>\n

That agency, according to the learning sciences, impacts learners\u2019 short- and long-term memory.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they’re engaged and they’re having experiential learning experiences, if they’re able to master their learning objectives and move along the progression that is individualized based on what they know, what they should know, and is tailored to those unique circumstances, then they’re going to retain those learning objectives longer. They’re going to be more motivated to continue learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Truong also shared multiple imperatives to unify education policy with the science of learning and development.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Education systems need to account for the whole child in all learning experiences, not just one facet of student life, not just their proficiency and in reading and math.<\/li>\n
  2. Everyone in the education universe: teachers, administrators, learners, parents, community members, and policymakers need to understand how learning happens and foster supportive learning environments for children.<\/li>\n
  3. School leaders need greater awareness of the importance of individualized learning. They must meet students where they are based on students\u2019 prior knowledge and developmental levels. This new knowledge is showing us that we need to give students time and support to learn and grow and be their best selves without limiting them.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u201cWith that greater knowledge about learning and development,\u201d said Truong, \u201cwe can advocate for systems change to better meet the needs of our students.\u201d<\/p>\n

    The federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) offers states more flexibility to advance policies that are centered around success for the whole child; for example, making diplomas more meaningful and redesigning assessment and accountability. However, some of the challenges in the state policy landscape limit the definition of \u201csuccess\u201d to proficiency in reading and math. Seat time and \u201cline-of-sight\u201d requirements, along with age-based cohorts, are other industrial age, factory-model holdovers that are still deeply embedded in policy.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThere are multiple structural changes that need to take place across the federal, state, and local levels in order to get to where we want to be,\u201d said Truong.<\/p>\n

    At the federal level, the U.S. Department of Education could provide discretionary grants or incent innovation and enable continuing research on the learning sciences, as well as its implication on ESSA and on states and districts. At the state level, \u201cwe need to move away from regulations that enforce traditional structures of education that are not aligned to the findings of the learning sciences.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Truong provided multiple examples on how to better align policy and the learning sciences. The conversation comes just ahead of the release of a new iNACOL publication, Aligning Education Policy with the Science of Learning and Development<\/em>.<\/p>\n

    Listen to the full podcast here,<\/a> and watch the Education Domain blog for more conversations in the Innovation Spotlight series. And if you will join us at the\u00a02019 iNACOL Symposium<\/a>, stop by the Voices Hub to share your experiences with Matt and Courtney. Click here<\/a> to learn more about the sessions and workshops in the \u201cWhole Child Personalization\/Social-Emotional Learning\u201d strand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Emerging knowledge from the learning sciences provides evidence and insights into the dynamic nature of learning,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10299,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"issue":[61,384,385,377,368,383,379],"location":[],"class_list":["post-1666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","issue-federal-policy","issue-harness-opportunities-in-essa-federal-policy","issue-redefine-student-success","issue-state-policy","issue-issues-in-practice","issue-rethink-instruction","issue-create-enabling-conditions-for-competency-based-education"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNew Innovation Spotlight Episode \u2013 Education Policy and the Learning Sciences with Natalie Truong - 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