-
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 elementary school embodied cognition emotion evolution executive function exercise experts and novices gender high school homework intelligence long-term memory metacognition methodology middle school mind-wandering mindfulness Mindset motivation multitasking neuromyths neuroscience parents pre-K psychology reading retrieval practice self-control skepticism sleep STEM stress technology working memoryRecent Comments
- landb on Consider the Squirrel…
- Fiona on Consider the Squirrel…
- Marlene E Natale on Not All of Us Work Effectively in a “Memory Palace”
- Andrew Watson on Cell Phones in the Classroom: Expected (and Unexpected) Effects
- Anonymous on Cell Phones in the Classroom: Expected (and Unexpected) Effects
ABOUT THE BLOG
POPULAR TOPICS
Blog Roll
Growing Mindsets in Argentina?
A study with 12th graders in Argentina highlights an important message about Growth Mindset: doing one thing once is unlikely to have much of an effect. Continue reading
Obsessed with Working Memory, Part II
Working memory allows students to hold and combine information. (We call that “learning.”) What 3 essential facts about working memory should shape our approach to teaching? Continue reading
Beyond the Mouse: Pointing in Online Lectures
When teachers use gestures appropriately in online learning, students learn more. Continue reading
Obsessed With Working Memory: Part I
When I attended my first Learning and the Brain conference, I had never even heard of working memory. Now, I obsess over working memory. And, I think all classroom teachers should join me. Heck, I think everyone who cares about learning,
Does Smartphone Addiction Boost Anxiety and Depression?
Despite all the scary headlines, research on cell-phone usage relies on self-report. And: people are very bad at remembering how much they actually use their phones. We simply don’t yet know much from research about their effects. Continue reading
Debunking Education Myths (Without Accidentally Reinforcing Them…)
Enduring education myths get in the way of student learning. Happily, we have concrete strategies to rebut those myths — without unintentionally making them seem more persuasive. Continue reading
Powerful Evidence: Self-Control Training Works — and Changes Brains
Both survey data and fMRI neuroimaging suggest that a program to help poor children develop self-control skills had real benefits over many years. Continue reading
Putting The Canary on a Better Book Shelf
A student’s “prior misconceptions” often interfere with new learning. To help them understand new material, we first need to identify the misconceptions that make it hard to understand in the first place. Continue reading
Decorating the Classroom: How Much Is Too Much?
Teachers decorate classrooms for many reasons — especially to make students feel at home. Recent research, however, suggests that too much decoration distracts students’ attention an interferes with their memory. When it comes to classroom decoration, there can indeed be too much of a good thing. Continue reading
Design Thinking: How Does It Work In The Classroom?
A careful study of design thinking finds modest successes — especially for students who have struggled in school. Continue reading
