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 Have I Been Spectacularly Wrong for Years? Part 1
- Cher Chong on Have I Been Spectacularly Wrong for Years? Part 1
- Andrew Watson on Practical Advice for Students: How to Make Good Flashcards
- Beth Hawks on Practical Advice for Students: How to Make Good Flashcards
- Max on ChatGPT and Beyond: The Best Online Resources for Evaluating Research Claims
ABOUT THE BLOG
POPULAR TOPICS
Blog Roll
Tag Archives: working memory
Book Review: Teaching Secondary Science, by Adam Boxer
Let’s start by making this simple: First: You should absolutely buy Adam Boxer’s Teaching Secondary Science: A Complete Guide. Sooner is better than later. Second: You will probably not READ Boxer’s book so much as you will STUDY it. Have a
When Prior Knowledge Bites Back: The Dangers of Knowing Too Much
In this blog, we typically highlight the benefits of prior knowledge. For example: if a student knows a lot about baseball, she’ll be much more successful in understanding a reading passage about baseball. That same student could struggle mightily with
Working Memory in Everyday Life
Imagine this scenario: you’re standing in the CVS toothpaste aisle, trying to decide. You think you should be able to recognize something familiar, but honestly there are so many choices. Which brand are you loyal to? Do you want mint?
The Best Book on Cognitive Load Theory: Ollie Lovell to the Rescue
Teaching ought to be easy. After all, we have a functionally infinite amount of long-term memory. You don’t have to forget one thing to learn another thing — really. So: I should be able to shovel information and skills into
Posted in Book Reviews, L&B Blog
Tagged classroom advice, cognitive load theory, working memory
Leave a comment
Conflicting Advice: What to Do When Cognitive Science Strategies Clash?
Teachers like research-informed guidance because it offers a measure of certainty. “Why do you run your classes that way?” “Because RESEARCH SAYS SO!” Alas, we occasionally find that research encourages AND DISCOURAGES the same strategy simultaneously. What to do when
Posted in L&B Blog
Tagged desirable difficulty, interleaving, spacing effect, working memory
Leave a comment
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:
Obsessed with Working Memory [Reposted]
I’m on vacation for the month of August, and so we’ll be reposting some of our most-viewed articles. We’re starting with our series on working memory: one of the most essential concepts from the field of cognitive science. When I attended
What’s Better Than Caffeine (And Doesn’t Require Electrodes)?
Is there an easy way to help students use their working memory more effectively? Do we have to zap their brains with electricity to accomplish this goal? Continue reading
A Fresh Approach to Evaluating Working Memory Training
A new method for evaluating working memory training raises an intriguing possibility: despite all our skepticism, might that training work after all? Continue reading
Retrieval Grids: The Good, the Bad, and the Potential Solutions
“Retrieval grids” promote retrieval practice — that’s good! But they might lead to working-memory overload — that’s really bad. Happily, we might be able to solve this problem… Continue reading