Learning is a scientific process, and for students to learn optimally they must be taught (Bjork et al., 2013). This is true regardless of cognitive abilities and disposition towards learning.

It is thanks to the work of neuroscientists that we better understand the brain’s ability to structurally change in response to learning (Maguire et al., 2006; Chua et al., 2009; Taya et al., 2015). We know that the brain changes constantly in response to our environment and the tasks we face (Burns, 2015; Doidge 2006). However, this reality can be a negative one if there is a learning problem that is not being addressed.

Students often use ineffective techniques such as highlighting and re-reading, with limited success. Such strategies are rooted in the misconception that memory behaves like a tape recorder (Bjork & Bjork, 2011).

Without an intervention to interrupt negative outcomes, the past is not going to correct itself, and the future is going to be a product of this (Luchins & Luchins,1990).

We know that a truly effective learner needs “to engage in activities that foster storage of new information and subsequent access to that information.” (Bjork et al., 2013).

Foundational to our learning success is the principles that we rely on prior learning (knowledge) to filter and interpret new information to make strong connections (Ambrose, 2010; Hattie, 2006; NRC, 2000). Therefore, providing timely support to students is key in order to prevent them from accumulating gaps in their knowledge.