How to assess claims about cognition and learning: The ACE Concepts

Perspective Article

Written by: Lisa-Maria Muller, Jonathan Sharples, Nick Rose, Hamish Chalmers and Andrew Morris

Published on: September 12, 2018

8 min read

"Is there a profession filled with more disagreement among its members than teaching?" This was a question posed on Twitter by lecturer in education at La Trobe University Emina McLean in October (twitter.com/EminaMcLean/status/1178879273127403520). Why, she mused, is there furious disagreement about such fundamental aspects of our profession as teaching reading, managing behaviour, assessment, inclusion, pedagogy and technology? And well might she ask. The EduTwitter community enthusiastically offered a multitude of responses to McLean’s question, leading to some more or less heated debates in the ensuing thread. Responses largely centred on: ideology; selective use of research evidence; a lack of understanding of research methods; design and its implications; the heterogeneity of classrooms; commercial interests; and the inherent complexity of the field. These factors, together with exaggerated claims in (social) media, press releases and academic articles themselves (Haber e

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This article was published in September 2018 and reflects the terminology and understanding of research and evidence in use at the time. Some terms and conclusions may no longer align with current standards. We encourage readers to approach the content with an understanding of this context.