How Children Learn: A Crash Course in Cognitive Science

NITE's free professional development series offers short, impactful sessions led by experienced educators to support the professional growth of teachers and school leaders.

Join us for a webinar designed specifically for aspiring and early career teachers led by Emma Clift.

Discover the science behind how children think, remember, and learn. This fast-paced session introduces key principles of cognitive science and their practical applications in the classroom—helping educators design lessons that stick, boost retention, and support long-term learning.

During this session, you will explore the core principles of memory and cognitive load, and how teachers can utilise effective lesson planning to maximise learning and knowledge retention. You will investigate practical, evidence-informed approaches which can be adapted for different learners and consider how strategies for checking for understanding can be used not just for assessment, but also to maximise recall.

At the end of the session, you will:

- Understand key principles of how children think, remember, and learn.

- Learn about memory and cognitive load, and how these affect retention and learning.

- Gain practical strategies to design lessons that improve retention of knowledge over time.

It is suitable for:

Trainee teachers - ECTs - recently qualified teachers - teachers with 1-3 years’ experience

Facilitator: Emma Clift

Emma has over a decade of teaching experience in secondary English, including as a Lead Practitioner both in subject and whole school. With an NPQ in Leading Teacher Development, she has worked with trainee teachers, NQTs/ECTs and their mentors, and assisted with the design and delivery of whole school CPD programmes. With NITE, Emma is a Senior Schools Placements Officer working with our international schools, with a particular interest in how curricula are adapted to context.