How People Learn II Learners, Contexts, and Cultures

347 Pages·2017·8.11 MB·English

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
This PDF is available at http://nap.edu/24783 SHARE
Ū ſ Ŷ Þ
How People Learn II Learners, Contexts, and Cultures
DETAILS
346 pages | 7 x 10 | PAPERBACK
ISBN 978-0-309-45964-8 | DOI 10.17226/24783
CONTRIBUTORS
GET THIS BOOK Committee on How People Learn II: The Science and Practice of Learning; Board on
Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences; Board on Science Education;
Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; National Academies of
FIND RELATED TITLES Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Visit the National Academies Press at NAP.edu and login or register to get:
– Access to free PDF downloads of thousands of scientific reports

– 10% off the price of print titles

– Email or social media notifications of new titles related to your interests

– Special offers and discounts
Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the National Academies Press.
(Request Permission) Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences.
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
How People Learn II Learners, Contexts, and Cultures
How People Learn II
Learners, Contexts,
and Cultures
Committee on How People Learn II:
The Science and Practice of Learning
Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences
Board on Science Education
Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
A Consensus Study Report of

Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
How People Learn II Learners, Contexts, and Cultures
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS • 500 Fifth Street, NW • Washington, D.C. 20001
This activity was supported by grants and awards from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
(Grant No. 2014-3-06), the American Educational Research Association (unnumbered
award), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Grant No. OPP1110470), the Institute of
Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education (Grant No. R305U150005),
the Teagle Foundation (unnumbered award), the William and Flora Hewlett Founda-
tion (Grant No. 2014-1118), with additional support from the National Academy of
Sciences’ W.K. Kellogg Foundation Fund and the National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine Presidents’ Circle Fund. Support for the work of the Board
on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences is provided primarily by a grant from
the National Science Foundation (Award No. BCS-1729167). Any opinions, fndings,
conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily
refect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-45964-8
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-45964-8
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018957415
Digital Object Identifer: https://doi.org/10.17226/24783
Additional copies of this publication are available for sale from the National Academies
Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; [phone] or
[phone]; http://www.nap.edu.
Copyright 2018 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
(2018). How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures. Washington, DC:
The National Academies Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.17226/24783.
Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
How People Learn II Learners, Contexts, and Cultures
The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress,
signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise
the nation on issues related to science and t echnology. Members are elected
by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is
president.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter
of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to ad-
vising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contribu-
tions to engineering. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president.
The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was
established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of S ciences to
advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their
peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau
is president.
The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and ad-
vice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and
inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education
and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase
public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.
Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
at www.nationalacademies.org.
Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
How People Learn II Learners, Contexts, and Cultures
Consensus Study Reports published by the National Academies of Sciences, En-
gineering, and Medicine document the evidence-based consensus on the study’s
statement of task by an authoring committee of experts. Reports typically in-
clude fndings, conclusions, and recommendations based on information gath-
ered by the committee and the committee’s deliberations. Each report has been
subjected to a rigorous and independent peer-review process and it represents
the position of the National Academies on the statement of task.
Proceedings published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and
Medicine chronicle the presentations and discussions at a workshop, symposium,
or other event convened by the National Academies. The statements and opin-
ions contained in proceedings are those of the participants and are not endorsed
by other participants, the planning committee, or the National Academies.
For information about other products and activities of the National Academies,
please visit www.nationalacademies.org/about/whatwedo.
Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
How People Learn II Learners, Contexts, and Cultures
v
COMMITTEE ON HOW PEOPLE LEARN II:
THE SCIENCE AND PRACTICE OF LEARNING
CORA BAGLEY MARRETT (Chair), Department of Sociology, University of
Wisconsin–Madison
PATRICIA J. BAUER, Department of Psychology, Emory University
CYNTHIA BEALL (NAS), Department of Anthropology, Case Western Reserve
MARGARET E. BEIER, Department of Psychology, Rice University
DAVID B. DANIEL, Department of Psychology, James Madison University
ROBERT L. GOLDSTONE, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences,
Indiana University
ARTHUR C. GRAESSER, Department of Psychology and Institute of
Intelligent Systems, University of Memphis
MARY HELEN IMMORDINO-YANG, Rossier School of Education, University
of Southern California
RUTH KANFER, School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology
JEFFREY D. KARPICKE, Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue
University
BARBARA M. MEANS, Learning Sciences Research, Digital Promise
DOUGLAS L. MEDIN (NAS), Department of Psychology, Northwestern
University
LINDA NATHAN, Center for Artistry and Scholarship
ANNEMARIE SULLIVAN PALINCSAR, School of Education, University of
Michigan
DANIEL L. SCHWARTZ, School of Education, Stanford University
ZEWELANJI N. SERPELL, Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth
University
SUJEETA BHATT, Study Director
TINA WINTERS, Associate Program Offcer
RENÉE L. WILSON GAINES, Senior Program Assistant
HEIDI SCHWEINGRUBER, Director, Board on Science Education
BARBARA A. WANCHISEN, Director, Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and
Sensory Sciences
Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
How People Learn II Learners, Contexts, and Cultures
vi
BOARD ON BEHAVIORAL, COGNITIVE, AND
SENSORY SCIENCES
SUSAN T. FISKE (Chair), Department of Psychology and Woodrow Wilson
School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
JOHN BAUGH, Department of Anthropology, Washington University in
St. Louis
LAURA L. CARSTENSEN, Department of Psychology, Stanford University
JUDY DUBNO, Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery,
Medical University of South Carolina
JENNIFER EBERHARDT, Department of Psychology, Stanford University
ROBERT L. GOLDSTONE, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences,
Indiana University
DANIEL R. ILGEN, Department of Psychology, Michigan State University
NANCY G. KANWISHER, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
JANICE KIECOLT-GLASER, Department of Psychology, The Ohio State
University College of Medicine
BILL MAURER, School of Social Sciences, University of California, Irvine
STEVEN E. PETERSEN, Department of Neurology and Neurological Surgery,
School of Medicine, Washington University Medical School
DANA M. SMALL, Department of Psychiatry, Yale Medical School
TIMOTHY J. STRAUMAN, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience,
Duke University
JEREMY M. WOLFE, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Departments of
Ophthalmology and Radiology, Harvard Medical School
BARBARA A. WANCHISEN, Director
Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
How People Learn II Learners, Contexts, and Cultures
vii
BOARD ON SCIENCE EDUCATION
ADAM GAMORAN (Chair), William T. Grant Foundation, New York, NY
GEORGE BOGGS, Palomar College, San Marcos, CA (emeritus)
MELANIE COOPER, Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University
RODOLFO DIRZO, Department of Biology, Stanford University
JACQUELYNNE ECCLES, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan
JOSEPH FRANCISCO, Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska
MARGARET A. HONEY, New York Hall of Science, New York City
MATTHEW KREHBIEL, Kansas State Department of Education, Topeka
MICHAEL LACH, Urban Education Institute, University of Chicago
LYNN S. LIBEN, Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University
CATHY MANDUCA, Science Education Resource Center, Carleton College
JOHN MATHER, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
BRIAN REISER, School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern
University
MARSHALL “MIKE” SMITH, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of
Teaching, Stanford, CA
ROBERTA TANNER, Thompson School District, Loveland, CO
SUZANNE WILSON, Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut
YU XIE, Department of Sociology, University of Michigan
HEIDI SCHWEINGRUBER, Director
Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
How People Learn II Learners, Contexts, and Cultures
Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
How People Learn II Learners, Contexts, and Cultures
ix
Acknowledgments
There are many reasons to be curious about the way people learn, and the
past several decades have seen an explosion of research that has substantially
expanded understanding of brain processes and what they mean for individual
learning, schooling, and policy. In 2000, the report How People Learn: Brain,
Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition (National Research Council,
2000; hereafter referred to as HPL I) was published and its infuence has been
both wide and deep, but 20 years later the research landscape has evolved still
further. How People Learn II provides a much-needed update.
This book does not presume to provide answers to specifc educational
dilemmas—recipes for teaching or the proverbial “what to do on Monday
morning.” Instead, the committee hopes that the book will be a tool that can
enrich discussions about research and practice in education and learning for
people of all ages. We have tried to present the existing scientifc evidence
in the most straightforward, accurate, and complete way that we can, and to
synthesize and interpret the fndings creatively. However, the practical applica-
tions that derive from the science will never be completely straightforward
because the real world is highly complicated, with many moving parts and
hidden complexities. The committee therefore asks you, the reader, to think
critically about the fndings we present in relation to your own work, and
about how the fndings reviewed here square with evidence and policies used
to justify educational strategies, policies, and research questions in your pro-
fessional context. Only through active debates and attempts to contextualize
and adapt the fndings beyond the narrow settings in which they often were
studied will we create signifcantly new understanding and better policy and
practice as they relate to learning.
Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.