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- 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]
- Nancy Weinstein on Just Not a Useful Debate: Learning Styles Theory [Updated]
- Trish McRae on Just Not a Useful Debate: Learning Styles Theory [Updated]
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Tag Archives: skepticism
Nope: Brain Training Doesn’t Work, Volume 262…
A recent study reveal — AGAIN –that “brain training” doesn’t work. Students can learn new things. But we can train their working memory or IQ in some abstract, artificial way. Continue reading
Problems in Science Communication, Part II: Too Little Skepticism
I spoke at this month’s Signs Summit in Chicago about problems in science communication. Here is the second half of what I said. (You can find the first half, which focuses on “too much skepticism” here.) We live in age that been
Problems in Science Communication, Part I: Too Much Skepticism
When teachers question guidance offered by outside research experts, we might be faulted for “too much skepticism.” Yet expertise is more useful and meaningful when provided by insiders. Effective science communication depends on researchers who know schools and classrooms through day-to-day experience. Continue reading
How To Be A Critical Psychology Consumer
Teachers who want to shape our practice with research find ourselves taking on extra responsibilities. In particular, we should probably hone our skills at investigating the research we use. Are we sure — or, sure enough — that the research
Just Not a Useful Debate: Learning Styles Theory [Updated]
At one of the first Learning and the Brain conferences I attended, a speaker briefly mentioned that learning styles theory doesn’t have much good evidence to support it. That comment turned into a heated debate. Several attendees asked vexed, unhappy
3rd Graders Beware! The Perils of Mindfulness Research
Despite suggestive research about its benefits, teachers should know the perils of mindfulness research. In this study, for example, yoga might have helped 3rd graders improve their emotional quality of life…but the study lacks an active control group. We can hope that the mindfulness helped, but we can’t be sure. Continue reading
Can You Resist the Seductive Allure of Neuroscience?
The seductive allure of neuroscience often blinds us. In fact, the image on the right shows the part of the brain — the focal geniculative nucleus — that lights up when we’re taken in by false neuroscience information. Ok, no
Training Working Memory: Bad News, and Surprising Great News
Training working memory might be effective not because it increases WM, but because it gives participants a chance to figure out a successful strategy. If so, we can give students the same boost simply by telling them that strategy… Continue reading
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,
Sleeplessness Harms Women’s Thinking More Than Men’s?
You can understand why this study lit up my twitter feed recently. It makes a remarkable claim: women — but not men — experience working memory declines after a sleepless night. Why We Care We have at least two powerful