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Showing search results for: Using Desirable Difficulties to Enhance Learning

“Desirable difficulties” is a term coined by Dr. Robert Bjork (UCLA) over 20 years ago. It refers to conditions of learning that create challenges for learners — and even seem to slow down the rate of learning — while actually enhancing long-term retention of knowledge and skills. What are some desirable difficulties...

Improve Your Memory: The Case Against Crosswords and Google This article was originally published in Psychology Today on Alan Castel’s blog, Metacognition and the Mind. Do you enjoy crosswords, or are you just becoming better at something you’re already good at? And if you can’t recall some bit of information, should...

Lee Waddington is the head of Player Development and the Foundation Phase coach at Burnley Football Club, an elite soccer organization in England. With over 23 years of coaching experience, Waddington has worked with some of the worlds’ top soccer clubs, including Manchester United, Manchester City, and Blackburn...

Desirable Difficulties: Taking the Path of MORE Resistance to Enhance Learning Taking the path of least resistance seems to be a rule of nature. Rivers flow around mountains instead of going through them. Plants will take the easiest route when trying to reach for the sun. People would rather watch the movie than read...

Our Story

In 2015, Cameron Broumand, an entrepreneur and father of three living in Los Angeles, stumbled upon a media article on the science of learning. After reading the piece, he realized that the valuable research findings in cognitive psychology and the learning sciences were almost entirely unknown to the public and, more surprisingly, to teachers. How could this be?! Broumand decided to find out, so he called Dr. Robert Bjork, a distinguished research professor at UCLA and one of the world’s leading experts in human learning and memory. After an insightful conversation with Dr. Bjork about the disconnect between research and practice, Broumand recognized an opportunity to improve our educational system. Shortly thereafter, he—along with Clement Mok, an award-winning designer and digital pioneer—founded the company, Lasting Learning. The goal of the company? To provide information to the public about how the science of learning can help transform and improve the way people teach and learn. Broumand asked learning scientists, Dr. Nick Soderstrom and Saskia Giebl, M.Sc. (both of whom were in Bjork’s lab at the time), to join the team. They happily agreed and, with the help of Carri O’Neill, have been giving talks, workshops, and webinars around the country ever since. The UCLA-Lasting Learning team has had the privilege to talk with thousands of teachers, coaches, parents, students, and athletes about how they can leverage the science of learning to enhance their educational practices. We look forward to talking with many more!