This research, by Lorraine McCormack,  explores the implementation of the Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) programme as a method to support students moving from primary to secondary school in Ireland.

https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/bitstream/2438/13364/1/Fulltext.pdf

The study addresses common academic regression and declining interest in science caused by repetitive curricula and poor communication between school levels. By utilising bridging units, the intervention aims to enhance formal operational thought and high-level reasoning skills through concepts like cognitive conflict and metacognition.

Results indicated that pupils participating in the programme achieved significantly higher cognitive growth than those in non-intervention groups. Furthermore, the initiative provided valuable professional development for teachers, boosting their confidence in delivering complex scientific content. Ultimately, the source highlights that while curriculum time is limited, investing in structured thinking programmes can effectively sustain and advance student achievement during educational transitions.

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A very interesting study was performed by Daniel Schwarz https://web.stanford.edu/~danls/Dyad%20Abstraction.pdf
This research investigates how collaborative problem solving in pairs, or dyads, produces more abstract mental representations than individuals working alone. Through three experiments involving gear mechanics and biological systems, the author demonstrates that pairs frequently develop parity rules and symbolic visualisations that exceed the performance of the most capable individuals. These findings suggest that abstraction is a natural byproduct of the need to establish common ground and resolve differing perspectives between partners. Rather than simply being more efficient, the social interaction itself forces participants to strip away surface details to create a shared, structured understanding. Ultimately, the studies provide evidence for socially situated cognition, where complex knowledge emerges from the unique communicative demands of group interaction.

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Cognitive Acceleration through  Science Education (CASE) enhanced with explicit prediction and explanation

as a method for creating a flourishing culture of scientific argumentation.Summary audio           Summary document

In this article “Intuitions of mathematical curves in young children’s drawings”
Lorenzo Ciccione, Marie Lubineau, Théo Morfoisse, Stanislas Dehaene

“synthesizes findings from a study investigating the proto-mathematical intuitions of young children. The research reveals that kindergarteners and first-graders possess a surprisingly sophisticated, albeit partial, understanding of complex geometric lines, curves, and patterns.”

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This paper The value of fixed versus faded self‐regulatory scaffolds on fourth graders’ mathematical problem solving Stella Gidalevich and  Bracha Kramarski shows how effective scaffolding student metacognition and especially fading this scaffolding over time helps sense making in problem solving contexts.

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This paper by Bracha Kramarski and Zemira R. Mevarech  Enhancing Mathematical Reasoning in the Classroom: The Effects of Cooperative Learning and Metacognitive Training

Shows how a combination of cooperative learning and metacognitive training lead to significant transfer of their mathematical skills and understanding to new contexts.

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Strategies of Knowledge Acquisition   Author(s): Deanna Kuhn, Merce Garcia-Mila, Anat Zohar, Christopher Andersen, Sheldon H. White, David Klahr and Sharon M. Carver
Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, Vol. 60, No. 4, Strategies of Knowledge Acquisition (1995), pp. i+iii+v-vi+1-157

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The research, conducted by Deanna Kuhn and colleagues, examines knowledge acquisition as a process of coordinating existing theories with new evidence, focusing on the mechanisms of theory formation and revision, rather than just the resulting content. Using a microgenetic method with both preadolescents and adults over a ten-week period, the study investigates the generality of these strategies across different content domains and age groups. The authors also discuss the limitations of single-occasion assessments, emphasising the importance of metacognitive and metastrategic competence in effective performance and the complexity of developmental change, which involves multiple, non-linear components.

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A longer debate about the study

Garvin Brod, in this  paper , responds to a recent meta-analysis suggesting that while prior knowledge strongly predicts learning outcomes, it does not, on average, predict learning gains, thus challenging David Ausubel’s famous statement. Brod argues that the effect of prior knowledge on learning is complex and depends on more than just the amount and structure of the knowledge itself.

Source Citation: Brod, G. (2021). Toward an understanding of when prior knowledge helps or hinders learning. npj Science of Learning, 6(24)

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In researching programmes that are consistent with Let’s Think pedagogy and have a good evidence base, I was lucky enough to come across this gem. “Effects of a ‘Learn to Think’ intervention program on primary school students,” published in the British Journal of Educational Psychology in December 2010.

The source details an experimental study conducted in China to evaluate the efficacy of a “Learn to Think” (LTT) curriculum designed to enhance students’ general cognitive processing and academic achievement. The research contrasts the LTT approach, which blends “out-of-context” and “infusion” teaching methods, with traditional education for a sample of Chinese primary school students over four years. Statistically significant positive effects of the LTT curriculum were found in both thinking ability and academic scores (Chinese and Maths) for middle- and high-ability students.

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A very interesting review of the seminal work of Chris Argyris

Double-Loop Learning and Productive Reasoning: Chris Argyris’s
Contributions to a Framework for Lifelong Learning and Inquiry

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