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- Srijita on The Unexpected Problem with Learning Styles Theory [Reposted]
- Andrew Watson on Introducing “Schema Theory”
- Andrew Watson on Introducing “Schema Theory”
- andrew watson on Introducing “Schema Theory”
- Lukas on Think, Pair, Share: Does It Help? If Yes, Why?
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Category Archives: L&B Blog

Learning How to Learn: Optimists and Realists
In schools, optimism helps teachers a lot. At the beginning of the year, my students JUST DON’T KNOW all sorts of things: how to write a good essay; how to analyze Macbeth; how to define “gerund.” In all likelihood, your students don’t
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Introducing “Schema Theory”
In the last few years, I’ve increasingly wondered if “schema theory” just might work a special kind of magic. If I understand it right (and if it’s true), then schema theory unites two distinct topics: the cognitive science behind good

Should students “teach” other students?
You will often hear about an exciting strategy to help students learn: they should teach one another. Imagine a unit on — say — “siege warfare.” And, imagine that my student (let’s call him Lancelot) learns enough about siege warfare to teach his
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Oops, Twitter Did It Again: Creativity and the “Positive Manifold”
I’ve written before that edu-Twitter can be a great help to teachers. I myself regularly learn about fascinating research, and practical teaching applications, from the wise accounts I follow. Of course, Twitter is also notorious for its edu-nonsense. (No claim

Have I Been Spectacularly Wrong for Years, Part 2 [Removed 6/14/23]
On Sunday of this week, I published my response to my interview with Dr. Morgan Polikoff. When I shared it with him, he responded that I had misrepresented his position. I try hard never to misrepresent another’s position — especially
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The Best Place to Study…Depends on the Goal
A wise friend recently asked a question that goes something like this: Research shows that new memories connect to the places where they’re formed. So: if I study geometry in the library, I’ll do better on a geometry test taken
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Should Teachers Explain or Demonstrate?
If I were a chess teacher, I would want my newbies to understand … … how a bishop moves, … how castling works, … what checkmate means. To help them understand, I could… … show them (“see how this piece

Book Review: Teaching Secondary Science, by Adam Boxer
Let’s start by making this simple: First: You should absolutely buy Adam Boxer’s Teaching Secondary Science: A Complete Guide. Sooner is better than later. Second: You will probably not READ Boxer’s book so much as you will STUDY it. Have a

The Potential Benefits of Doodling and Chatting
This post will cover two topics simultaneously. First, I’m going to describe recent research into the benefits (?) of doodling. Second, I’m going to use a cool new artificial intelligence thingy to explore that research. I found both fascinating; perhaps
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Have I Been Spectacularly Wrong for Years? Part 1
Over the years, I’ve used this blog to make several persistent arguments. One of those arguments features in almost every post I write: context always matters. That is: research might suggest that a particular classroom strategy works well. However, teachers
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