Tag Archives: long-term memory

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When Facing Dramatic Blog Headlines, Ask For Evidence

A recent blog claims that “exams damage teens’ mental health.” Before you accept that claim, you should check out its evidence… Continue reading



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But Does It Work In The Classroom? (A Hint: YES!)

A large study in five different Florida schools gives us lots of confidence that “interleaving” — mixing up different kinds of practice problems together — helps students learn. This technique takes a little extra time, but it’s highly effective and it’s free. Continue reading



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Not All of Us Work Effectively in a “Memory Palace”

Students with lower visuospatial aptitude don’t benefit much from “memory palaces.” This research finding leads to important classroom strategies…and to bigger questions as well. Continue reading



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The Best Teaching Book to Read This Summer: Powerful Teaching

Powerful Teaching, by Agarwal and Bain, combines research and practical classroom strategies. The result: an ideal book for teachers who want to improve our practice. Continue reading



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The Best-Known Neural Model of Learning Might be Substantially Wrong

A new neural model of long-term memory formation might change our understanding of learning. It should not, however, change our approaches to teaching. Continue reading



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The Better Choice: Open- or Closed-Book Quizzes

As predicted by research into “retrieval practice,” closed-book quizzes do in fact help students learn better than open-book quizzes do. Once again, the right kind of difficulties can be desirable in school. Continue reading



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A Handy Summary of Memory Definitions, for Teachers and Students

Here‘s a quick summary of information about memory: sensory memory, working memory, long-term memory, and (crucially!) forgetting. Author Steven Turner presents this brisk overview to combat “buzzword wasteland.” He fears the education-world habit of coming up with fancy new terms



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Two Swings, Two Misses: The New York Times on Education

Two recent articles in the New York Times have gotten lots of teacherly attention. What’s Love Got to Do With It? The first, an op-ed by David Brooks, announces that “students learn from people they love.” Brooks’s piece includes some



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Does Drawing a Simple Picture Benefit Memory?

If a picture is worth 1000 words, how many words is drawing a picture worth? More specifically, Jeffrey Wammes & Co. have been exploring this question: is it true that drawing benefits memory? If I draw a picture of a



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Research Summary: The Best and Worst Highlighting Strategies

Does highlighting help students learn? As is so often the case, the answer is: it depends. The right kind of highlighting can help. But, the wrong kind doesn’t help. (And, might hurt.) And, most students do the wrong kind. Today’s



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