Sarah Cottingham

Sarah Cottingham is a teacher educator, researcher, and author specialising in cognitive science, memory, and meaningful learning in education. She is the Associate Dean at Ambition Institute, where she works on improving professional development and National Professional Qualifications for teachers and school leaders. Cottingham holds an MA in Educational Neuroscience from UCL and Birkbeck, University of London and has a background as an English teacher and teacher trainer, including previous roles at Teach First and Explore Learning.

Cottingham is the author of Ausubel’s Meaningful Learning in Action, part of the “In Action” series, which explains David Ausubel’s assimilation theory of meaningful learning and its practical implications for classroom teaching. Her work focuses on translating research on memory, schema, and learning into practical strategies for teachers, and she collaborates with schools and organisations on effective staff training. She also co-hosts the Coaching Unpacked podcast and writes the Cognitive Coach newsletter on Substack, exploring the intersection of cognitive science, coaching, and classroom expertise.