Learning Theory

Automaticity is the ability to perform foundational skills—like recognizing words or recalling math facts—without conscious effort, freeing mental resources for higher-level thinking and comprehension.

Behaviorism is a learning theory that focuses on how people acquire behaviors through conditioning, emphasizing observable actions and the use of reinforcement or punishment to shape learning outcomes.

Bloom's Taxonomy is a hierarchical framework categorizing cognitive learning into six levels—Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create—helping educators design activities that develop thinking skills from basic to advanced.

Cognitive Load Theory explains how the brain's limited working memory affects learning, and provides strategies for presenting information in ways that optimize comprehension and retention.

Constructivism is a learning theory stating that children don't passively absorb information—they actively build their own understanding by connecting new experiences to what they already know.

Direct Instruction (DI) is a specific, research-backed teaching methodology using scripted lessons and systematic skill progression, developed by Siegfried Engelmann in the 1960s and proven effective in the largest educational study in U.S. history.

Encoding is how information gets stored in memory, while retrieval is how we access that stored information. These two processes are the foundation of all learning, and understanding them helps parents teach more effectively.

Executive function refers to the brain's higher-level cognitive skills—including working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control—that enable goal-setting, planning, task completion, and managing complex information.

Explicit instruction is a systematic, teacher-directed approach where skills are taught directly through clear explanations, modeling, guided practice, and feedback—leaving nothing to chance about what students need to learn.

Extrinsic motivation is the drive to perform for external rewards or to avoid punishment—like grades, praise, or prizes—rather than for the inherent satisfaction of the activity itself.

A fixed mindset is the belief that intelligence, abilities, and talents are static traits that cannot be significantly developed, leading people to avoid challenges and view failure as evidence of inherent limitations.

Flow state is a psychological concept describing complete immersion in an activity where a person experiences energized focus, loses track of time, and performs at their peak—making it an ideal condition for deep learning.

Fluency in learning is the ability to perform academic tasks accurately, at an appropriate speed, and with proper expression or flexibility—allowing students to focus on comprehension and higher-level thinking rather than struggling with basic skills.

Growth mindset is the belief that intelligence, abilities, and talents can be developed through dedication, effort, and learning, contrasted with a fixed mindset that views intelligence as unchangeable.

Implicit instruction is a teaching approach where students acquire knowledge through exposure and discovery rather than direct, step-by-step teaching—learning happens somewhat unconsciously as they encounter material and recognize patterns themselves.

Intrinsic motivation is the internal desire to learn or engage in an activity because it's inherently interesting or satisfying, not because of external rewards like grades or prizes. Intrinsically motivated students pursue learning for its own sake.

VARK is a learning styles model identifying four preferences: Visual (images), Auditory (listening), Read/Write (text), and Kinesthetic (hands-on)—widely used but contested by research.

Metacognition is "thinking about thinking"—the ability to plan learning strategies, monitor understanding, and evaluate what worked. Research shows it adds 8 months of academic progress and is as important as IQ for learning outcomes.

Multiple Intelligences (MI) theory proposes that intelligence is not a single general ability but a collection of eight distinct types, including linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic.

Orthographic mapping is the cognitive process by which readers permanently store words in memory by connecting their pronunciation, spelling, and meaning together—turning unfamiliar words into instantly recognizable sight words.

Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds in spoken language—including syllables, rhymes, and individual phonemes—without relying on written text. It is a critical foundation for learning to read.

Piaget's Stages of Development is a theory describing how children's thinking evolves through four distinct phases: sensorimotor (0-2), preoperational (2-7), concrete operational (7-11), and formal operational (12+). Each stage represents qualitatively different ways of understanding the world.

Readiness theory is a developmental approach to education that emphasizes waiting until a child has reached appropriate physical, cognitive, and emotional maturation before introducing formal academic instruction. This philosophy significantly influenced the homeschool movement through Raymond and Dorothy Moore's "better late than early" research.

Retrieval practice is a learning strategy where students actively recall information from memory rather than passively reviewing it, strengthening neural pathways and dramatically improving long-term retention.

Scaffolding is a teaching approach where parents provide structured, temporary support to help children master new concepts, then gradually remove that support as the child develops independence.

Schema theory explains how the brain organizes knowledge into mental frameworks called schemas, which help children process, store, and retrieve information by connecting new learning to what they already know.

Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is a psychology framework explaining that humans are most motivated when three core needs are met: autonomy (choice), competence (mastery), and relatedness (connection).

Spaced repetition is a learning technique where material is reviewed at gradually increasing intervals, leveraging how memory works to help students retain information long-term with less total study time.

Spiral learning is an educational theory where students revisit topics multiple times throughout their education, with each encounter adding complexity and depth to build lasting understanding.

The Science of Reading is a body of research spanning five decades that identifies how the brain learns to read, emphasizing systematic phonics instruction, phonemic awareness, and structured literacy approaches proven effective for all learners.

Transfer of learning is the ability to apply knowledge, skills, or strategies learned in one context to new or different situations. It's the core goal of education: using what you've learned beyond the original learning setting.

Working memory is the cognitive system that temporarily holds and manipulates information needed for learning tasks like reading comprehension, math calculations, and following multi-step directions.

The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is the gap between what a learner can do independently and what they can achieve with guidance—the sweet spot where meaningful learning happens through appropriate support and challenge.