Monthly Archives: November 2018

“We Can No Longer Ignore Evidence about Human Development”

The more teachers learn about neuroscience and psychology, the more we admire Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang. Unlike most researchers, she has spent time as a classroom teacher. And, her extensive research—in both neuroscience and psychology—offers us wise perspectives on our



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choices harm learning

Why Do Choices Interfere with Your Learning?

At times, choices might help motivate students. However, at other times, choices harm learning. When we distinguish between the two, we help our students. Continue reading



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US vs UK: Edutwitter Styles

If you follow education debates on Twitter, you may have noticed stark differences in tone between your US and UK colleagues. Blake Harvard recently posted on these differences — trying to understand and explain them. He ultimately prefers the UK



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sleep and cognition

10,000 People Talk About Sleep and Cognition

Most of the research studies I read include a few tens of people. Sixty or eighty is good; more than 100 is rare. I’ve seen published studies with an even dozen. So when I hear about a study with over



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Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore

More than any other life stage adolescence is derided and characterized as an unpredictable, turbulent storm. In Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain, University College London cognitive neuroscience professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore argues that we need to stop



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Choosing a Knowledge-Rich Curriculum: Pros and Cons

Should our curriculum focus on knowledge or skills? Jon Brunskill debates this question with himself in this thoughtful post. Brunskill does offer a strong conclusion in this debate. But just as important: the way he frames the discussion. Following Rapoport’s Rules



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adolescent brain

Surprise: The Adolescent Brain Isn’t Broken

Chapter 2 of Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain kicks off with a teenager’s diary entry from April of 1969: I went to arts centre (by myself!) in yellow cords and blouse. Ian was there but he



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retrieval practice limitations

The Limits of Retrieval Practice, Take II…

Just two weeks ago, I posted about a study showing potential boundary conditions for retrieval practice: one of the most robustly supported classroom strategies for enhancing long-term memories. As luck would have it, the authors of that study wrote up their



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amygdala

This Is Your Amygdala on a Cliff…

If you’ve seen the documentary Free Solo, you know about Alex Honnold’s extraordinary attempt to climb a 3000 foot sheer rock face. Without ropes. Without protective gear of any kind. And without, it seems, a typically functioning amygdala. Free Solo briefly



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handwritten notes

Ask a Simple Question, Get an Oversimplified Answer

Handwritten notes might help students who review them, but laptop notes seem to help those who don’t. In brief: even simple questions have complex answers. Continue reading



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