Summary

What have you learnt about how we learn?

We’ve introduced some key concepts about how your child's brain learns, drawing upon our understanding from educational neuroscience. We’ve looked at three processes of learning to help you think about the things you can do to engage your child ready for learning, build new knowledge with them and help them to consolidate their learning to use later.

As we explained at the start, you are the best expert on your child. We hope you’ll have confidence to draw upon the things that interest your child to engage them with learning by adapting tasks and using some of the approaches we’ve suggested. Talking and making links between new knowledge and old knowledge, and asking questions about what your child is learning, will help them build their understanding. Practice and sleep will help consolidate their learning, and so when they go back to school, they have a more firmly established basis for moving forwards.

Watch the Q&A videos for further insights and answers to parents' questions.

Find out more

An online course on the Science of Learning is available from STEM Learning. Designed for teachers, this course looks at the educational neuroscience and supports educators to reflect on their teaching practices.

References

  1. Cooper, H., et al., The effects of summer vacation on achievement test scores: A narrative and meta-analytic review. Review of Educational Research, 1996. 66(3): p. 227-268.

  2. Paechter, M., et al., The Effects of Nine-Week Summer Vacation: Losses in Mathematics and Gains in Reading. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics Science and Technology Education, 2015. 11(6): p. 1399-1413.

  3. Allinder, R.M., et al., Effects of summer break on math and spelling performance as a function of grade level. Elementary School Journal, 1992. 92(4): p. 451-460.

  4. Entwisle, D.R. and K.L. Alexander, Summer setback - race, poverty, school composition and mathematics achievement in the of school. American Sociological Review, 1992. 57(1): p. 72-84.

  5. Shinwell, J. and M.A. Defeyter, Investigation of Summer Learning Loss in the UK-Implications for Holiday Club Provision. Frontiers in Public Health, 2017. 5: p. 7.