Tags
ADHD adolescence attention bilingual education boundary conditions classroom advice conference speakers constructivism/direct instruction creativity critical thinking desirable difficulty development elementary school embodied cognition emotion evolution executive function exercise experts and novices gender high school homework intelligence long-term memory math metacognition methodology middle school mindfulness Mindset motivation neuromyths neuroscience online learning parents psychology reading retrieval practice self-control skepticism sleep STEM stress technology working memoryRecent Comments
- Andrew Watson on The Hidden Lives of Learners
- Andrew Watson on Test Anxiety: How and When Does It Harm Students?
- Elizabeth Lutsky on Test Anxiety: How and When Does It Harm Students?
- Jack D Cerva on Warning: Misguided Neuroscience Ahead
- Jennifer Kresge on The Hidden Lives of Learners
ABOUT THE BLOG
POPULAR TOPICS
Blog Roll
Tag Archives: skepticism
Warning: Misguided Neuroscience Ahead
I recently ran across a version* of this chart: As you can see, this chart lists several neurotransmitters and makes recommendations based on their purported roles. If you want to feel love, you should increase oxytocin. To do so, play
When Analogies Go Wrong: The Benefits of Stress?
An amazing discovery becomes an inspiring analogy: Researchers at BioSphere 2 noticed a bizarre series of events: their trees kept collapsing under their own weight. Why on earth would trees collapse? It doesn’t happen outside the BioSphere; so why would
When Do We Trust the Experts? When They Don’t Trust Themselves!
Back in 2010, three scholars published a widely-discussed paper on “Power Poses.” The headlines: when people adopt a strong stance (say, fists on hips, like Superman), they… …take more risks in gambling tasks, …change various hormone levels, and …answer questions
“Compared to What”: Is Retrieval Practice Really Better?
When teachers turn to brain research, we want to know: which way is better? Are handwritten notes better than laptop notes? Is cold-calling better than calling on students who raise their hands? Is it better to spread practice out over time,
The 10-Minute Rule: Is The Lecture Dead?
The “10-minute rule” offers teachers practical guidance. It typically sounds something like this: If students aren’t intrinsically interested in material, they can pay attention to it for no more than 10 minutes. Ergo: teachers should do something different every ten
When Evidence Conflicts with Teachers’ Experience
Here’s an interesting question: do students — on average — benefit when they repeat a grade? As you contemplate that question, you might notice the kind of evidence that you thought about. Perhaps you thought: “I studied this question in graduate school.
EduTwitter Can Be Great. No, Really…
Twitter has a terrible reputation, and EduTwitter isn’t an exception. The misinformation. The name-calling. The “team” rivalries: all heat and little light. Did I mention the misinformation? You might wonder: why bother? Honestly, I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t. I
How Psychologists and Teachers Can Talk about Research Most Wisely
Dr. Neil Lewis thinks a lot about science communication: in fact, his appointment at Cornell is in both the Psychology AND the Communications departments. (For a complete bio, click here.) He and Dr. Jonathan Wai recently posted an article focusing on
Laptop Notes or Handwritten Notes? Even the New York Times Has It Wrong [Reposted]
Which helps students learn more: handwritten notes, or laptop notes? The best-known research on the subject might surprise you… Continue reading
The Limits of “Desirable Difficulties”: Catching Up with Sans Forgetica
Can a hard-to-read font improve student learning? That’s a very strange question, but in 2019 we had some reasons to think the answer was “yes.” Just published research updates our understanding. Continue reading