Melbourne University Deans Lecture
Prof. Guy Claxton on the Science of Learning
Recently Prof. Guy Claxton spoke in Melbourne about the Science of Learning.
The lecture was interesting and insightful. It also made me so grateful to work in our Lutheran Education system. In our system we have put time and energy into considering the culture of our schools and how we are going to define Excellence in Learning, the great news is that when you listen to Prof Claxton speak he absolutely affirms the importance of schools deliberately shaping young people with both deep knowledge and useful skills to be used in application and service in our world.
Please take the time to listen to this lecture and the clarity that Prof. Claxton speaks with around the varied and complex research that has informed how people learn and the danger that he sees in developing a dichotomous view of learning of this OR that instead of This AND that or this FOR that.
Key provocations from Claxton:
– There is no single, definitive ‘science of learning’—we draw from multiple disciplines, each with strengths and limitations.
– An over-reliance on instructional methods alone can limit broader outcomes, such as creativity, resilience, and real-world problem-solving.
– Cognitive Load Theory is not gospel. Its popularity must not eclipse other ways of understanding how humans learn in complex, messy, human environments.
– Schools must cultivate epistemic strength—curiosity, collaboration, adaptability—not just compliance or memorisation.
“May we stop asking, “What works?”
And start asking, “What matters?”
Because the true science of learning is not just about how we teach—
It’s about who we are becoming.” Adriano Di Prato
I finished the lecture with a sense of hope and deep gratitude that in Lutheran Education we have taken the time to do the deep thinking about what excellence means to us and have developed shared language around the epistemic strength that we aim to cultivate in our flourishing schools. Lutheran Education thoroughly agrees with Adriano! Purpose is indeed about who we are and who we are becoming!
https://youtu.be/qGFEswKBnMw?si=dg9tZ3scz6oNNTGA
Kim Powell
Learning Leader: Innovation
