NUA Principles of Learning

Many principles of learning underlie NUA's work. The following five are particularly useful because they are relevant across the full range of grade levels and content areas:

1. Students must bring their own perspectives to lessons so that they will see the relevance of the content to their own lives.
2. Students must make thoughtful and active use of their prior knowledge in order to learn new information.
3. Students need challenges to keep them motivated and engaged in learning.
4. Students need opportunities to talk to each other to construct, process, and reflect on meanings while hearing and appreciating one another's points of view.
5. Students need to represent their learning in interesting and creative ways that enhance their comprehension and retention.