-
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Watson
Andrew began his classroom life as a high-school English teacher in 1988, and has been working in or near schools ever since. In 2008, Andrew began exploring the practical application of psychology and neuroscience in his classroom. In 2011, he earned his M. Ed. from the “Mind, Brain, Education” program at Harvard University. As President of “Translate the Brain,” Andrew now works with teachers, students, administrators, and parents to make learning easier and teaching more effective. He has presented at schools and workshops across the country; he also serves as an adviser to several organizations, including “The People’s Science.” Andrew is the author of "Learning Begins: The Science of Working Memory and Attention for the Classroom Teacher."
Tags
ADHD adolescence art education attention bilingual education boundary conditions classroom advice collaboration creativity desirable difficulty development diet elementary school embodied cognition emotion evolution exercise experts and novices gender high school homework intelligence long-term memory metacognition methodology middle school mind-wandering mindfulness Mindset motivation neuromyths neuroscience neurotransmitters parents pre-K psychology reading retrieval practice self-control skepticism sleep STEM stress technology working memoryRecent Comments
- landb on Research on Note-Taking: A Teachable Skill
- Beatriz Rodriguez on Research on Note-Taking: A Teachable Skill
- Nini White on Helping Today’s Students Have More Open Minds
- Ellen on Montessori: The New Science behind a Century-Old Methodology (part I)
- Kathleen Valentine on Just Not a Useful Debate: Learning Styles Theory [Updated]
ABOUT THE BLOG
POPULAR TOPICS
Blog Roll
Using and Misusing Averages: The Benefits of Music?
The “10 Minute Rule” tells us that people can’t pay attention to something for longer than ten minutes. As teachers, therefore, we shouldn’t do any one thing for longer than ten minutes. We need to mix it up a bit.
Live Theater Boosts Student Knowledge and Tolerance
Question: What’s the most potentially misleading kind of research? Answer: Research that supports a position you REALLY want to believe. For this reason, I try to be ferociously skeptical of research that sounds really wonderful to me. In this case:
Teenagers, Hormones, and Other Stubborn Myths
There’s a short video about adolescence making the rounds on social media. The video offers a quick explanation for highly-emotional teenage behavior. And it has a suggestion or two for parents. The suggestions themselves make good sense: Reassure your child
The Best Length of Time for a Class
I met yesterday with several thoughtful teachers who had resonant questions about education research. How do we balance factual learning and deep thinking? What’s “the right amount of stress” during a test? How can we promote collaboration while honoring individual
Is It Time to Re-Re-Think Mindset Research?
Despite lots of mindset doubts, we have good reasons — and recent research — that show how mindset interventions can help students learn. Continue reading
Can Quick Exercise Breaks Energize Young Students?
According to recent research, quick exercise breaks don’t distract younger students and do improve their mood. Continue reading
Does Hands-On Learning Benefit Science Students?
In a recent study, hands-on learning and other inquiry strategies did not help 4th graders master science concepts. The reason? Working memory limitations. Continue reading
Research on Note-Taking: A Teachable Skill
Over at the Cult of Pedagogy, Jennifer Gonzalez has a FANTASTIC post summarizing lots of research on note-taking. Some headlines: Note-taking is a skill we should teach. Visuals improve notes. Pauses for revision and reflection help a lot. I should
The Best Way to Read? Paper vs. Screens
The “paper vs. screens” debate has a clear winner: in most circumstances, students understand better and learn more when they read from paper. Continue reading
Video: Stress and Memory
The folks over at TedEd have posted an excellent video exploring the relationship between stress and memory. The video lasts only a few minutes, but it includes lots of helpful information. In particular, note that we can’t simply say “stress
