👋 Hello {{first name | reader!}}
In this edition of ⚗️ DistillED, we’re focusing on The Simple Model of the Mind — a simple framework, originally conceptualised by cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham, that explains how learning actually happens — and why it so often breaks down.
that explains how learning actually happens… and why it so often doesn’t.
In this edition
📊 Do Now: Quick Poll!
Which part of learning most commonly breaks down in classrooms?
What is The Simple Model of the Mind?
The Simple Model of the Mind explains learning as the interaction between attention, working memory, and long-term memory.
Dan Willingham observed that learning does not occur simply because students are busy, engaged, or compliant. These behaviours are poor proxies for learning: they look productive, but often tell us little about what students have actually understood or remembered.
Instead, learning occurs only when hard thinking leads to a change in long-term memory. This idea is captured in Willingham’s now-famous line:
“Students remember what they think about... Memory is the residue of thought”
This diagram is inspired by Oliver Caviglioli’s popular interpretation
The diagram above is a glow-up of Daniel Willingham’s original concept, published in his spectacular book Why Don’t Students Like School?, and illustrates the learning process. Here’s a quick breakdown of the key parts:
Attention: What students are thinking about at any moment.
Environment: The conditions that shape and direct students’ attention.
Learning: Effortful thinking that results in change to long-term memory.
Working Memory: The limited space where thinking and processing occur.
Knowledge: Connections of information in long-term memory called schemas.
Remembering: The strengthening of knowledge through retrieval and revisiting.
A model like this is important because it helps teachers move beyond surface indicators of engagement and instead design lessons that align with how students actually think, process information, and build durable knowledge over time. As Willingham explains:
“Understanding a bit about how thinking happens will help you understand what makes thinking hard. That will, in turn, help you understand how to make thinking easier for your students.”
For clarity, here’s what The Simple Model of the Mind IS and IS NOT:
👎 The Simple Model of the Mind is not:
About behaviour, or effort → It doesn’t explain why students try; it explains how learning happens once thinking occurs.
A checklist of teaching strategies → The model doesn’t prescribe methods — it provides a framework for diagnosing whether learning conditions are in place.
A claim that visible engagement equals learning → Learning depends on what students are thinking about, not how busy they appear.
👍 The Simple Model of the Mind is:
A model of how information becomes learning → Attention is the gateway to working memory; hard thinking changes long-term memory.
A lens for designing and evaluating instruction → It helps teachers ask: What are students thinking about? Can working memory cope? Will this be remembered?
A shared professional language for teaching and CPD → It helps teachers speak precisely about attention, cognitive load, knowledge, and memory — building a common language for improvement.
Why does The Simple Model of the Mind Matter?
In Why Don’t Students Like School?, Willingham argues that people are naturally curious but not naturally good thinkers. In fact, unless the cognitive conditions are right, we avoid thinking altogether.
The model matters because it helps us design instruction around human cognition — and diagnose where learning commonly breaks down:
Breakdown 1: Unfocused Attention → When attention isn’t directed at the learning goal, hard and meaningful thinking doesn’t occur.
Breakdown 2: Working Memory Overload → Working memory is limited. When it’s overloaded, understanding breaks down.
Breakdown 3: Insufficient Background Knowledge → Without prior knowledge, new ideas have nothing to attach to and quickly fade.
Breakdown 4: Doing Without Thinking → Activity and compliance can create the illusion of learning without real thinking.
The diagram below expands on Willingham’s original idea by showing how learning depends on the interaction between environment and attention, working memory, long-term memory, and remembering over time.
Unpacking how learning happens and why sometimes it doesn’t!
As you can see, the model also directs our attention towards instructional design, prompting us to ask a small number of high-leverage questions:
Are students paying attention and focused on learning?
Are all students pushed to think hard?
Are students presented with manageable material?
Are students able to explore and build schemas?
Are students consolidating their learning through retrieval practice?
A substantial body of evidence from cognitive science and classroom research supports this way of thinking about learning. These ideas are not teaching preferences — they are constraints of human cognitive architecture.
Ultimately, the model helps us move from asking “What can I get students to do today” to asking the more important question: “What did students think about — and what will they still remember?”
How do I use The Simple Model of the Mind?
The Simple Model of the Mind is a powerful tool for professional development. It gives teachers a shared language for talking about learning — shifting conversations away from vague ideas about engagement or activities, and towards attention, cognitive load, knowledge, and remembering. In school PD — particularly coaching — the model acts as a common reference point helping teams diagnose why learning may have broken down and align improvement efforts around how students actually learn.
The key is to use the model as a design lens, not a checklist. Below is an example of how the Simple Model of the Mind can guide instructional decision-making by helping teachers diagnose where the conditions for learning may be breaking down. The following conditions are not a step-by-step lesson recipe; they are prompts for diagnosis and design.
Design Condition | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
Condition 1: Secure Attention First
| If attention isn’t focused on the content that matters, information won’t enter working memory in a useful way. Instruction should minimise distractions and clearly signal what students should think about. | Signal for Attention: “Pens down and eyes this way in 3, 2, 1… Thank you.” Guide Attention: “Eyes on the diagram — this is the part we’re focusing on.” |
Condition 2: Teach New Knowledge Explicitly
| Students cannot think about or retrieve knowledge that hasn’t been taught. Clear explanation, modelling, and examples establish the knowledge base needed for learning. | Explicit Instruction / Modelling: “Watch how I complete step one. I’ll talk you through my thinking.” Worked Example: “Here’s a complete example — don’t write yet, just follow the steps.” |
Condition 3: Manage Working Memory Load
| New information should be broken into small, manageable steps to avoid overload and support understanding. | Small Steps: “We’re only focusing on step one — ignore the rest for now.”
|
Condition 4: Build and Activate Knowledge
| Thinking should require students to recall, connect, or apply what they already know, helping new ideas attach to existing knowledge. | Activate Prior Knowledge: “Where have we seen something like this before?” Cold Call / Turn & Talk: “Turn to your partner — how does this link to last lesson?” |
Condition 5: Use Retrieval to Strengthen Learning
| Retrieval strengthens existing memory traces and reveals what students can recall independently, making learning more durable. | Low-Stakes Retrieval: “Books closed — write the three stages in order.”
|
Condition 6: Space, Revisit, and Respond
| Learning strengthens when knowledge is revisited across lessons and units, with student responses guiding reteaching and refinement. | Spaced Retrieval: “Two questions from last week, one from last term… Let’s go!”
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The Simple Model of the Mind reminds us that learning isn’t about what students do, but what they think about — and what they remember over time.
Until next week — Jamie
📰 Related Editions
If you want more:
👉 Read about Explicit Instruction
👉 Read about Optimising Communication
👉 Get the DistillED Playbooks
📥 Free Planning Resource
The Simple Model of the Mind – Lesson Design Check
To help you put these ideas into practice immediately, download The Simple Model of the Mind – Lesson Design Check — a one-page planning and reflection tool designed to help teachers plan instruction around attention, working memory, knowledge, thinking, and remembering.
⚗️DistillED+ Exclusive Content
This week’s ⚗️DistillED+ members get access to The Simple Model of the Mind CPD PowerPoint and a Printable Lesson Design Checklist, breaking down how to apply the learning model to lesson planning, coaching, and professional development — helping teachers secure attention, manage cognitive load, build knowledge, and strengthen learning over time without overload.
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