Applied Pedagogy Research Lab

Investigating the science of how humans learn best

Retrospective

Phase 1 Retrospective: What We Found, How We Found It, and What Comes Next
April 2026 · Synthesis of Wave 0 and Wave 1 findings

Level 0 — Field Survey

How Humans Learn: A Survey of the Science and Its Implications for Education
L0-001v2 · Full survey of learning science and pedagogy

Level 1 — Deep Investigations

The Cognitive Science of Learning: What We Know, Where It Breaks Down, and What It Means for Instruction
L1-001 · Cognitive foundations
The Engine That Drives Learning: Motivation, Self-Regulation, and the Replication Crisis
L1-002 · Motivation and self-regulation
The Assessment Paradox: How Testing, Feedback, and Grading Shape Learning
L1-003 · Assessment and feedback
How Should Instruction Be Designed? The Evidence Beyond the Binary
L1-004 · Instructional design
The Promise and the Evidence: Educational Technology and AI in Learning
L1-005 · Educational technology and AI
Flying Blind: The Evidence Base for Alternative Education Models
L1-006 · Alternative education
Why Good Ideas Fail: Institutions, Change, and the Science-Practice Gap in Education
L1-007 · Institutions and change
What Should Be Learned: A Cross-Disciplinary Investigation of the Aims of Education
L1-008 · Curriculum — what to learn
Building the Whole Person: How Competence Is Formed, Maintained, and Degraded
L1-009 · Competence formation
When the Trainer Pays for Failure: What Training Science Knows About Learning That Education Has Missed
L1-010 · Training science and workplace learning

Wave 2 — Focused Investigations

The Cognitive Foundations of Learning: What We Know, What We Don't, and Where the Boundaries Are
W2-001 · Cognitive foundations — CLT, retrieval practice, spacing, desirable difficulties, transfer, expertise
Assessment, Feedback, and the Testing Effect: A Refined Review of Formative Assessment, Feedback Design, and Alternative Grading
W2-003 · Assessment and feedback — formative assessment, feedback design, ungrading, AI-assisted feedback
How Should Instruction Be Designed? From Binary Debate to Expertise-Adaptive Design Across Domains
W2-004 · Instructional design — direct instruction vs. inquiry, worked examples, productive failure, 4C/ID, ill-structured domains
What Should Be Learned: The Aims of Education Across Philosophy, Evidence, and Culture
W2-008 · Curriculum philosophy — aims, values, and contested questions
Building the Whole Person: How Competence Is Formed, Maintained, and Degraded
W2-009 · Competence formation — how the five-layer competence stack develops

Subject Investigations

The Instrument Rating as a Subject: What It Is, How It Is Taught, and What Mastery Looks Like
SUBJ-004 · FAA Instrument Rating — Airplane: boundaries, curriculum, pedagogy controversies, tools, the tested-vs-working competence gap
Building and Maintaining an Airplane: An Aluminum Experimental, Its Powerplant, Its Regulator, and the Owner-Maintainer
SUBJ-007 · The body of knowledge an amateur builder of an aluminum experimental (Van's RV-8) and the owner-maintainer / aspiring A&P needs — airframe, powerplant, systems, regulatory, community
Best-Build Decisions for an RV-8: The Contested Choices in an Aluminum Experimental Amateur-Built, Resolved
SUBJ-007 · Decision document organized by build sequence — primer, dimpling, rivet method, edge prep, QuickBuild, engine, ignition, fuel system, prop, avionics, paint
RV-class Owner-Maintainer Cheat Sheet: Numbers, Limits, and Rules to Carry Forever
SUBJ-007 · Lifetime reference card — fastener decoding, sheet metal call-outs, engine vital signs, Condition Inspection short list, "where to look in which book"
Resuming the RV-8 Build: A Learner Report Addressed to the Builder After a Long Pause
SUBJ-007 · Personalized re-onboarding plan — cognitive setup, next-week / next-month / next-year sequencing, the A&P question, the house-bound constraint

Special Projects

The Craft of Dialogue: Conversing with People Who May Not Be Seeking Truth
SP-001 · Dialogue, argumentation, and conversational truth-seeking — typology, technique, and hard cases