ABSTRACT
The single most important aspect of what happens in schools revolves around learning. Teachers work to create learning environments that maximize potential and opportunity to learn. This chapter outlines three principles of learning that are crucially important for extending learning and designing effective learning environments. In particular, the principles include: (1) learning is best when we build knowledge first and then cultivate skills, (2) learning requires practice – not just any practice but practice that is deliberate, spaced, and varied, and (3) learning is significantly different early and late. The chapter discusses each of these principles and offers specific implications for educational practice in light of them.
