Monthly Archives: June 2018

expert teacher vision

Do Expert Teachers See More Meaningful Classrooms?

Why do chess experts win more chess matches than novices? This question has a perfectly…



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How To Be A Critical Psychology Consumer

Teachers who want to shape our practice with research find ourselves taking on extra responsibilities….



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using research well

Don’t Just Do This Thing; Think This Way

Do hard-to-read fonts improve learning? The answer is: that’s the wrong question. Instead, we should ask: how can we set the right level of difficulty as students learn material? And: are hard-to-read fonts a useful tool in getting to that level. Only the classroom teacher can answer those questions. Continue reading



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mind wandering advice

Conflicting Advice: Mind-Wandering Is Bad, or Just Fine

Some researchers say that mind wandering is “just fine.” Others say that it interferes with comprehension. Which is true? When looking at conflicting findings, focus on the research that best resembles your classroom. In this case, you should probably worry about mind wandering — except under specific circumstances. Continue reading



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learning styles

Just Not a Useful Debate: Learning Styles Theory [Updated]

At one of the first Learning and the Brain conferences I attended, a speaker briefly…



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PowerofDifferent

The Power of Different: The Link Between Disorder and Genius...

Gail Saltz, author of The Power of Different: The Link Between Disorder and Genius, argues…



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Capture Intergalactic Criminals; Feel the Mental Burn

I’ve posted a good bit recently about the dangers of working memory overload. (For instance:…



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Putting Research to Work in the Classroom: Success?

Some study habits have been shown to work in psychology labs. Do they work in college classrooms? A recent study shows that “retrieval practice” clearly helps students learn. The findings on “the spacing effect” are harder to interpret… Continue reading



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adolescent emotion

A Hidden Adolescent Struggle: Identifying Complex Emotions

Recent research offers a helpful insight into adolescent emotion processing. Children and adults are relatively good at distinguishing among their emotions. They can say “I’m feeling angry, but not sad.” Adolescents, however, have a harder time sorting out their feelings. For them, negative emotions all churn together. Continue reading



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longhand notes

The Best Way to Take Notes: More Feisty Debate

When teachers contemplate asking students to take longhand notes, we should think about the level of desirable difficulty this strategy creates. We should also beware the working memory challenges inherent in note-taking, especially on complex material. Continue reading



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