Understanding cognitive biases, emotional regulation, and neural plasticity can help educators design learning environments that promote engagement, motivation, and retention.
Dear Dr. Owoeye!
You raised an important point - how to develop a quality experience of using interactive online platforms. I found the following studies:
1) Rincón, Y.R., Munárriz, A., Campión Arrastia, M.J. et al. Instructional design for tutoring on interactive platforms: creating educational interventions overcoming the digital gap. Education Tech Research Dev (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-025-10516-8, Open access:
Article Instructional design for tutoring on interactive platforms: ...
2) Hare, R., Ferguson, S., & Tang, Y. (2025). Enhancing student experience and learning with iterative design in an intelligent educational game. British Journal of Educational Technology, 56, 551–568. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13526, Open access:
Article Enhancing student experience and learning with iterative des...
3) Kurt Englmeier, The Design of Self-Paced Learning for Structured Learning Environments, Procedia Computer Science, Volume 256,
2025, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2025.02.097
Sncerely, Bulcsu Szekely
Cognitive Biases: Deactivating Invisible Barriers to Learning
Heffernan, T., & Allen, K. A. (2024). Student evaluations and the impact on academic mental health. In Research Handbook of Academic Mental Health (pp. 211-226). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803925080.00020
Emotional Regulation: The Bridge Between Affect and Cognition
Wood, M., Ha, C., Brackett, M., & Cipriano, C. (2024). Affective experiences of US school personnel in the sociopolitical context of 2021: Reflecting on the past to shape the future. Education Sciences, 14(10), 1093. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14101093
Neural Plasticity: Grounded Educational Hope
Welhaf, M. S., Mata, J., Jaeggi, S. M., Buschkuehl, M., Jonides, J., Gotlib, I. H., & Thompson, R. J. (2024). Mind-wandering in daily life in depressed individuals: An experience sampling study. Journal of affective disorders, 366, 244-253.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032724013387
In my own practice, psychological research has informed much of my understanding of reading difficulties and autism. I think, however, that we need to be careful about overly relying on psychology and especially 'memes' associated with psychology. Too often educators refer students to psychologist because old fashioned ''carrot and stick'' type coercion, motivation (take your pick) do not work because without the old-school 'final deterrent' of corporal punishment, many teachers feel they lack authority. Also, concern about what our instinctual response to a difficulty with (say) math might mean - that we need to reteach subskills such as multiplication, for example, before the student can learn exponents. Many, casting around for a reason which does not involve this extra effort, instead look to psychology to locate the problem within the child. A complex sounding label like dyscalculia, or dyslexia can effectively disempower educators (not to mention the terrible long term disempowering effects on our students who will be confirmed not only in their own lack of self-belief in their ability, but will have an impressive sounding word to explain why) to do what should seem natural - to take responsibility and teach what needs to be taught, not what a curriculum map or some other impersonal tool is used to show what they 'should' be taught.
I believe it is currently necessary to implement methodologies in our classrooms that take into account the different learning styles found in our classrooms, enabling meaningful learning that includes digital tools, communication, creativity, and critical thinking due to the rise of artificial intelligence. To achieve this, I use a new methodology called the REAPSES Method, which takes into account Honey and Alonso's (1994) learning styles: active, reflective, theoretical, and practical. This generates empowerment and attributions of success in our students.
While learning styles are important all students do not represent the styles as often an unwillingness to learn precedes the teacher's good intentions. The layered affect of presenting knowledge requires a considered reaction that many students do not possess. Award based learning throws up on occasion limited engagement with teaching. Still, receptivity and plasticity function through whatever chaos erupts.
Different learning and teaching processes can be about controlling the class, a difficult thing to do. These theories and different methods require perfect students.
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- Science method