The Evidence-Based Strategy to Boost Learning: Brilliant Ideas Method

By Kelly Hutton

Have you watched a child light up when they discover something new? Then you will have seen the power of natural learning in action, which created a lifelong fascination for me with the way in which people learn. Children in particular are where I found the wonder in the way the brain develops, and it was my work with children that not only fed my fascination, but cemented my understanding that when we understand the evidence, learning can come as naturally as learning to breathe.

Initially, my career began working within the early years, and I opened a children’s day nursery around 10 years into my career, based on my previous childminding practice. It was here that my experimental approach to supporting children's learning became reality.

My nursery had mixed-age groups, and activities and experiences were truly based on child-led interests, where the educator was the facilitator working with children across age groups and developmental needs. During this phase of my career, I began to study for my degree in Educational Studies and became fascinated with child development theory, from Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development to Skinner's behaviourism.

As my career moved into working with older children and with a wider cohort of children with a variety of SEND needs, I could see the disconnect between the way children learn in the early years and the way in which older children are taught. Why children with a variety of different developmental needs were not learning in mainstream became obvious. The practice just wasn't always aligned with the theorists and evidence that tell us how children learn.

Finally, as I completed my master’s in psychology, in which I specialised in Educational Psychology, the lack of alignment between practices undertaken in education and what I was learning became glaringly obvious, and this led me to become more disenfranchised with our education sector. I moved into supporting families who home educate, with evidence-based learning strategies, and the Brilliant Ideas Method was born.

An Evidence-Based Learning Strategy is Born

It was this deeper understanding of what motivates children to learn, and where educational psychology comes into play, that led me to The Brilliant Ideas Method, a project-led learning approach, based around the principle that children learn when truly motivated by curiosity, autonomy and identity.

Educational psychology is a discipline which uses psychological theory and research to understand learning, development and teaching; it is through this lens that the Brilliant Ideas Method devises a language for discussing what the learner has learned, a framework for designing an environment which will reduce the barriers for that learner to learn and is the foundation for the professional knowledge that supports expert teaching, reflective practice and evidence-informed education delivery.

The Evidence

The research and theory behind Educational Psychology tells us six important things about the way children learn:

1.       Learning is active, not passive:

          Entwistle (2020) argues that learning must involve activity, relating new information to the old, which means questioning ideas, evaluating evidence, and engaging critically and sits firmly around Vygotsky's ideas of the zone of proximal development (see a previous blog post here). This is why children thrive when they can explore, question, and create, not just receive information.

2.       Children learn differently, so there is no “best” way to teach:

           Entwistle (2020) was also explicit in stating that there is no ‘right’ way to teach, with learners differing in everything from memory, reasoning, imagination, motivation, personality and prior experiences; therefore, teaching has to be flexible, responsive and varied. Children need the flexibility and movement in what is planned and the opportunity to make their own adaptations to make it relevant to their own real-world understanding.

3.       Motivation is central:

          Eggen & Kauchak (2024) demonstrate that motivation is shaped by needs (autonomy, competence, belonging), beliefs (self-efficacy, mindset), goals and emotions. Our approach to education therefore needs to be built upon educator-student relationships, providing meaningful challenge, offering autonomy, connecting to real learning and using mastery-focused feedback. The Brilliant Ideas Method is built all around this premise, with children being able to take ownership over their learning, direct it in a way that is relevant to them and set goals and outcomes which feel relevant to who they are and what they are doing.

4.       Cognition develops over time:

We know that children’s thinking develops over time (Piaget, Vygotsky), and Eggen and Kauchak (2024) emphasise the role of schemas, assimilation, accommodation, along with the role of scaffolding and the zone of proximal development. Project-Led Learning, such as is guided through the Brilliant Ideas Method, therefore focuses on connecting new learning to prior knowledge, providing structured support that gradually fades and using dialogue and interaction to build understanding. The approach is very adult-interaction intensive and is why it is best used in small groups/individually, but it is also why children will feel connected, driven and understand their own learning because it is curated around them, not vice versa.

5.       Memory and attention are limited

Teaching must reduce cognitive load. Eggen & Kauchak (2024) outline how working memory is small and easily overloaded, with effective teaching capitalising on clear organisation, chunking, high-quality examples, visual supports and opportunities for retrieval practice. Children can categorise, understand and take on board information when it is manageable loads, presented in a relevant format and meaningful to what they are doing.

6.       Identity, belonging, and emotion shape learning;

Therefore, inclusive design should be built in from the start. Deci & Ryan (1985) tell us how identity development, belonging, social needs, and social comparison strongly influence learning behaviour, and therefore, within the Brilliant Ideas Method, it is recognised that identity IS part of learning; education should provide a psychologically safe space, opportunities to address stigma and promote inclusion; it needs to be woven into learning from the beginning and not as additional extras. Identity is focused on what the child wants to learn, in ways they want to learn - they can own it.

It is these 6 points which create a foundation for The Brilliant Ideas Method, underpinned by the idea of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which would aim to provide a learning environment which is designed to be accessible from the outset, not retrofitted to children after the learning is planned. UDL emphasises:

·        Multiple means of engagement (various reasons to be motivated, a consistent relevance to real-life learning, autonomy).

·        Multiple means of representation (there needs to be varied formats that will engage the learners, multimodal input)

·        Multiple means of action and expression (varied ways to show learning)

For instance, a child might learn about habitats by building a model, researching online, drawing diagrams, or creating a video, whichever method helps them express their understanding best.

It is all of this which led me to ask a simple question: what would learning look like if we designed it how children actually learn? This is why the Brilliant Ideas Method is designed to allow children to take ownership of their learning: plan how they are going to learn, reflect on how well it went, work towards chosen goals, and present their learning in such a way that they can feel proud.

In practice, this looks like children choosing meaningful projects, planning their steps, exploring ideas with adult support, and presenting their learning in ways that feel authentic and joyful.

Developmental Phase

The Brilliant Ideas Method is literally designed around all of these strategies; it is a method that includes all of the evidence-backed science as a matter of the nature of how it is carried out. I have been implementing this system with homeschooled children for the past 6 months with brilliant success; Parents have told me how impressed they are with how confident their children are since starting their projects and how enthusiastic they now are about their learning.

However, I truly believe all children should have the opportunity to learn in this way, and it is with this idea that I would love to be able to share my approach beyond my own practice.

The Brilliant Ideas method would work really well in small group work (therefore in school intervention) as well as with home-educated children. I am currently looking for a small group of home‑educating families, parents or educators who work with small groups, who want to help shape a brand‑new, child‑led, project‑based learning framework designed to strengthen executive function skills through real‑world projects.

Currently in the development phase of the Brilliant Ideas Method, I’m offering FREE access to the first trial so families can experience the approach, give feedback, and help refine the final version before its release. This is the only time the Brilliant Ideas Method will be available completely free, and your feedback will directly shape its final version.

Volunteers will receive:

• A full project cycle to test (step‑by‑step guides + child‑friendly resources)

• Guidance notes explaining the research, walk‑throughs and terminology

• An executive function skill map + wider curriculum links

• Reflection tools for both children and educators

• Direct support from me via email, WhatsApp and weekly online/face‑to‑face check‑ins

If you’re passionate about curiosity‑led learning, real‑world projects and supporting children’s executive function development, I’d love to welcome you into the volunteer group, which is open to invitations until Friday 28th August.

📩 Email NurturedTogether@gmail.com to join the trial or ask any questions.

Together, we can create learning experiences that honour children's curiosity, identity and potential in a way that has real impact for children in the future.

Reference List

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic Motivation and Self‑Determination in Human Behavior. New York: Plenum.

Eggen, P., & Kauchak, D. (2024). Educational Psychology: Windows on Classrooms (11th ed.). Pearson.

Entwistle, N. (2020). Teaching for Understanding at University: Deep Approaches and Distinctive Ways of Thinking. Palgrave Macmillan.

Piaget, J. (1952). The Origins of Intelligence in Children. International Universities Press.

Skinner, B. F. (1953). Science and Human Behavior. Macmillan.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Harvard University Press.

CAST. (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Wakefield, MA: Author.