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Tag Archives: motivation
It’s All in the Timing: Improving Study Skills with Just-Right Reminders
Some research-based teaching advice requires complex rethinking of our work. For instance: We know that “desirable difficulties” like spacing and interleaving help students learn. At the same time, this strategy might require a fair amount of reorganization in our unit plans.
Learn Like a Pro: Science-Based Tools to Become Better at Anything by Barbara Oakley and Olav Schewe
With the school year starting in just a couple of weeks, Learn Like a Pro: Science-Based Tools to Become Better at Anything by Barbara Oakley and Olav Schewe is an excellent resource to help students start the school year with
Beyond Slogans and Posters: The Science of Student Motivation
In many cases, cognitive science offers clear teaching advice. You’re curious about working memory? We’ve got LOTS of strategies. Wondering about the limits of attention? Good news! Alas, in other cases, research doesn’t give us such clarity. If, for instance,
The Source of Student Motivation: Deeper than We Know?
Usually I blog about specific research findings that inform education. Today — to mix things up — I thought it would be helpful to talk about an under-discussed theory pertinent to education. This theory helps us at least two ways:
Motivation = “Self-Determination” + Common Sense
Common sense tells us that teachers should offer clear goals and specific feedback. Research supports that guidance, with an important caveat. Continue reading
What (De)Motivates Struggling Math Students?
When teachers focus on their students’ “innate math ability,” what happens to their students’ motivation? Researchers in Germany wanted to find out. Continue reading
The Simplest Motivation Strategy that You’re (Probably) Not Using
Two simple techniques to overcome mundane daily obstacles make it much likelier that our students — and we — will get work done. Continue reading
True/False: Grades Motivate Students to Study Better?
The following story is true. (The names have been left out because I’ve forgotten them.) When I attended graduate school in education, I handed in my first essay with some trepidation, and lots of excitement. Like my classmates, I had
New Research: Personal Best Goals (Might) Boost Learning
Some research-based suggestions for teaching require a lot of complex changes. (If you want to develop an interleaved syllabus, you’re going to need some time.) Others couldn’t be simpler to adopt. Here’s a suggestion from researchers Down Under: encourage your
The Mindset Controversy: Is It Time to Give Up?
Few theories have gotten more teacherly attention than Carol Dweck’s work on Mindset. As you no doubt know, she has found that a “fixed mindset” (the belief that ability and intelligence can’t really change) demotivates people. On the other hand,