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    Insights, tips, and resources for parents, teachers, and learners on their educational journey.

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    Why Do Some Students Understand and Others Don't?
    5 min read
    Cognitive Science
    Learning Science
    Education

    Why Do Some Students Understand and Others Don't?

    After nearly twenty years in the classroom, I've become fascinated by a simple question: why do some students develop deep understanding while others struggle despite working hard? Looking back at a career's worth of books on teaching, cognitive science and misconceptions, I realised they were all helping me explore the same challenge.

    J

    Julian Dance

    8 June 2026
    Why Knowing More Changes How Students Think and Learn
    6 min
    Long-term Memory
    Learning Science
    +5

    Why Knowing More Changes How Students Think and Learn

    Thinking depends on what you already know. When pupils have secure knowledge stored in long-term memory, their working memory is freed to reason, solve problems, and make connections. This is why knowing more stuff doesn’t limit thinking - it enables it.

    JJulian Dance
    8 January 2026