New Research Casts Doubt on the Summer Slide, 100 Best Psychology Books of All Time and more in this week’s news roundup!

New Research Casts Doubt on the ‘Summer Slide’
(Edutopia)

Under closer scrutiny, the idea of summer learning loss doesn’t seem to hold up, according to a recent study.

100 Best Psychology Books of All Time
(Book Authority)

As featured on CNN, Forbes and Inc – BookAuthority identifies and rates the best books in the world, based on public mentions, recommendations, ratings and sentiment.

In Brief
(American Psychological Association’s Monitor on Psychology)
Snapshots of some of the latest peer-reviewed research within psychology and related fields

How to Remember Everything
(The Atlantic)

The world’s most accomplished memorizers insist their powers aren’t an innate gift, but rather a skill that anyone can hone.

Rethinking the Science Poster
(APA 2019 Blog)

If you’ve been to a scientific conference recently, or have been following the media buzz, you’ll know that there is a growing movement away from dense, text-heavy posters and towards posters that are more straightforward, engaging, and easy to understand in a short glance. At APA, we’re excited by this new approach, want to apply effective psychological principles to the way we present information in our posters, and think that it has many benefits for presenters and attendees.

Intro Psych Series #4: Can You Do That In A Big Class? Course-Based Undergraduate Research (Cure) In Introductory Psychology At CSU Monterey Bay
(The Novice Professor)

We’ve spent the last two weeks here at The Novice Professor teaming up with several wonderful guest posters who are sharing their takes on teaching the general survey course in psychology. Even if you don’t teach this course, there are lots of great ideas you can modify for your classroom. ​Join us as we get into the nitty gritty from textbook selection to favorite assignments to assessment strategies!

Helping Students With Test Anxiety
(New York Times)

Parents and teachers can use the time leading up to the test to help minimize children’s fears.

Music Students Score Better in Math, Science, English Than Nonmusical Peers
(American Psychological Association)

Effect more pronounced for those who take instrumental rather than vocal music, study says.

The Yale Happiness Class, Distilled
(The Atlantic)

The psychology professor Laurie Santos delivers the “shortest possible crash-course version” of the university’s most popular course ever.

Why Standardized Tests Aren’t Working for Teachers or Students
(Education Week – Subscription Required, Free Trial)

Many of us in education have deep misgivings about the role standardized tests play in our schools. As a principal, I’ve had a front-row seat to incidents that illustrate why we should be seriously concerned. Let me tell you about one of them.

Professors Need To Be Entertaining To Prevent Students From Watching YouTube In Class
(Science Daily)

Students think it is instructors’ responsibility to ensure they don’t surf the web in class, according to a new study.

Learning a Musical Instrument Helps Children to Achieve Higher Grades. Here’s Why
(World Economic Forum’s Agenda)
Secondary school students who take music classes in school perform better in math, science and English than their nonmusical peers, according to a new large-scale study in British Columbia. And the more involved students are in their school music programs, the higher their academic exam scores tend to be.

Students Who Take Music Classes Also Do Better Academically, Study Finds
(Discover’s D-brief)
Music is the language of feelings, the food of the soul. But could it also be a grade booster for high school students? Researchers think so — if students engage in actually playing the music (not just listening to it).

Can A Font Improve Your Memory?
(Forbes)
A study published in Trends in Neuroscience and Education found that when children who had not yet learned to read or write were asked to trace, draw or type a letter, the recall for the letter when viewed later in an MRI machine was different. Recognition was greatest for the letters than had been independently drawn because it activated three brain regions – more than either those who traced the letter or typed it.

Screen Time Is Rising, Reading Is Falling, and It’s Not Young People’s Fault
(Washington Post – Subscription Required, Free Trial)
Americans spent less time reading and more time watching TV last year than ever before, according to new time use data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

‘It’s Not Just Yoga and Nail Paint’: Inside the Teacher Self-Care Conference
(Education Week’s Teaching Now – Subscription Required, Free Trial)
Enter the Teacher Self-Care Conference. The two-day event, now in its third year, offers workshops on mental health and burnout, work-life balance, and strategies for navigating toxic workplace environments. “Take care of you,” the website reads. “So you can be the best version of yourself for your students.”

Trauma-Informed Practices: Lessons From New Zealand
(Education Week’s Teaching Now – Subscription Required, Free Trial)
Since trauma is so prevalent and has so many negative impacts, it is imperative that schools address the health and well-being of traumatized students, mainly because schools are the most common way students access mental-health services. Trauma-informed practices mitigate the trauma students experience and promote their well-being and success in school.

Why ‘Just Reading’ Might Make More of a Difference Than Teaching Reading
(David Didau’s Learning Spy)
Apart from improving the fluency of decoding, I’ve struggled to find effective, evidence-informed approaches to improving students’ reading comprehension. As as I can see, there’s no such thing as ‘reading comprehension,’ there’s just comprehension.*

About the Author

Hunter is a communications professional who came of age in the digital revolution, and has witnessed big changes in how we communicate. In his eclectic 20 year career he’s seen vast changes across multiple industries from advertising, B2C, professional services, publishing, and now non-profit. During his time at APA Hunter has watched the growth of the organization’s web presence; a shift from print to digital media; and the pickup of social channels like the PsychLearningCurve. A tech geek at heart, Hunter is naturally drawn to all things shiny and new especially when it comes to communicating – particularly social media and apps. Hunter seeks to understand the world around him -- add in a penchant for creative design and a reporter’s curiosity and you’ve got Hunter. Through this blog he hopes to help translate quality psychological science into practical uses for educators, students, and parents.
Amanda's passion for advancing the conversation around mental health coupled with her background in marketing has made for an exciting career at the American Psychological Association. She received her undergraduate degree in Marketing from Emerson College and her graduate degree in Public Health Communications from the George Washington University's Milken School of Public Health in Washington, DC. In her free time, Amanda loves hiking, pyrography, collecting mid-century modern furniture and spending time with her family and dogs, Mia and Becky.