Setting The Record Straight On How We Learn | Holly Korbey

📩 Join My Email List

Katie hosts education journalist and author Holly Korbey to discuss the science of learning and what parents and educators should understand about how children actually learn.

Holly explains concepts like cognitive load, explicit instruction, retrieval practice, background knowledge, and why step-by-step teaching matters more than many people realize.

Katie and Holly discuss study habits, flashcards, the science of reading, writing instruction, and how evidence-based teaching practices can help more students succeed.

Holly Korbey writes The Bell Ringer newsletter focused on the science of learning.

Holly’s links:

Newsletter: https://thebellringer.substack.com/

Website: https://hollykorbey.com/

X/Twitter: https://x.com/hollykorbey

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-korbey-21617331/

Chapters:

00:00 – Why the Public Needs to Understand How Learning Works

00:43 – Meet Holly Korbey: Education Journalist & Author

05:00 – Why Holly Asked to Speak on Podcasts About Education

06:00 – “We Need to Understand How Humans Learn”

07:20 – Science of Reading vs. Science of Learning

10:40 – What Cognitive Load Theory Actually Means

15:00 – Homework, Apps & Cognitive Overload

17:00 – Why Explicit Instruction Matters

19:30 – Creative Thinking Is the Goal, Not the Starting Point

21:00 – Sports, Music & How the Brain Learns Skills

24:00 – Why Flashcards Are a Miracle for Learning

26:00 – Effective Study Habits & Spaced Retrieval

28:00 – What Gives Holly Hope About Education