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- landb on Research on Note-Taking: A Teachable Skill
- Beatriz Rodriguez on Research on Note-Taking: A Teachable Skill
- 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]
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Tag Archives: working memory
Does Hands-On Learning Benefit Science Students?
In a recent study, hands-on learning and other inquiry strategies did not help 4th graders master science concepts. The reason? Working memory limitations. Continue reading
Do Stress, Age, or Stereotypes Harm Your Working Memory?
We write a lot about working memory here on the blog, and so I was intrigued to see a review article summarizing 21 factors that might influence our WM performance. Several of this article’s conclusions jumped out at me. Some
Your Brain Headlines of the Week
Every week generates lots of interesting research in brain-world. These headlines most grabbed my attention:
You Are a Learning Style of One
Many educational fads ask teachers to sort our students into false learning categories: by learning style, for example, or by gender. Instead, we should focus on cognitive processes — like memory and attention — that apply to all our students. As learners we can’t be categorized, but we’re more alike than different. Continue reading
Capture Intergalactic Criminals; Feel the Mental Burn
I’ve posted a good bit recently about the dangers of working memory overload. (For instance: here and here.) Teachers can understand the dangers of WM overload. However, we rarely experience WM overload in school. Because we’re in charge of the lesson,
The Best Way to Take Notes: More Feisty Debate
When teachers contemplate asking students to take longhand notes, we should think about the level of desirable difficulty this strategy creates. We should also beware the working memory challenges inherent in note-taking, especially on complex material. Continue reading
The Great Homework Debate: Working Memory Disadvantage?
New research into working memory might give teachers fresh perspective in the great homework debate. Well-designed homework might make new words and concepts easier to learn, because the right kind of practice can reduce differences between high- and low-working-memory students. Continue reading
Look Here Not There: The Limits of Psychology
Daniel Willingham argues that we should acknowledge the limits of psychology education and research for teachers. Although empirical generalizations give us useful guidance, most theories and epistemic assumptions are simply to broad to be helpful. Continue reading
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
Point/Counterpoint: Escaping the Inquiry Learning Debate
In the absence of consistent research findings, assessing Inquiry Learning can be a challenge. Teachers should rely on basic cognitive variables — like working memory and attention — to reach conclusions about its usefulness. Continue reading