I wish I’d taken my mental health more seriously in grad school
(Science Magazine)
Four years into my Ph.D. program, my hands started to go numb each night as I slept. I didn’t think much of it at the time; it was just uncomfortable and weird. Then one night, while sound asleep, I somehow mistook my numb arm for a snake. I threw myself out of bed and woke in a panic—panting, trembling, heart racing—on my bedroom floor, poised to defend myself against this imaginary snake. A few nights later, my hand was a spider. Once again, I launched myself out of bed in utter panic. I later discovered that these nighttime events weren’t simply strange dreams; they were a direct result of grad school stress.
Fit, fit, fit, and fit: What faculty search committees look for
(STP – APA Div 2 Graduate Student Teaching Association Blog)
Faculty positions in psychology often yield dozens of qualified applicants. As such, search committees can be selective. Poor fit is a kiss of death that leads to automatic rejection (Boysen, Morton, & Neives, 2019). Getting on the short list of applicants to be interviewed requires nearly perfect fit with the qualifications listed in the job advertisement.
Beyond screen time: Better questions for children and technology in 2020
(EdSurge)
As I reflect on the intersection of child development, early learning and technology over the past 10 years, I am reminded of a decade of polarizing arguments for and against young children using technology.
Update on the APA introductory psychology initiative
(APA’s Psychology Teacher Network)
Strengthening education in psychological science.
Rocking your first day of class (and beyond!)
(STP – APA Div 2 E-xcellence in Teaching Blog)
My goal on the first day is to inspire my students to want to come back for the second day of class (and then the third day, and the fourth day. . .). On that first day, I try to show my class how engaging, valuable, and relevant the class will be for them and for me. I set the tone, norms, and expectations that will provide the foundation for our shared and engaged academic experience.
Self-efficacy, procrastination, and burnout in post-secondary faculty: An international longitudinal analysis
(PLOS One)
To address the present research gap on relations between motivational beliefs, self-regulation failure, and psychological health in post-secondary faculty, the present study used associative latent growth modeling to longitudinally examine relationships between self-efficacy, procrastination, and burnout (emotional exhaustion) in faculty internationally.
The deep poverty initiative: Teachers of psychology action guide
(APA’s Psychology Teacher Network)
When it comes to fighting deep poverty, teachers of psychology are at the forefront of not only addressing the issue with adolescents and emerging adults, but also in creating a learning environment in which people from all backgrounds are welcomed and empowered.
Students say grades, college prep the main causes of stress
Kingsport Times-News
Across the board, students said stress is a prevalent issue, both on a personal level and for their classmates. A 2013 survey by the American Psychological Association found that many teenagers experience what they think are unhealthy levels of stress, especially during the school year.
That tricky work-life balance: How one teacher found a solution
(Education Week – Subscription required, free trial available)
For years, I’d been working long hours at school and shortchanging time with my family. Finally, at 4:30 a.m. one morning, my son made the imbalance painfully clear.
Some learning is a whole-brain affair
(Science Daily)
Researchers have successfully used a laser-assisted imaging tool to ‘see’ what happens in brain cells of mice learning to reach out and grab a pellet of food. Their experiments, they say, add to evidence that such motor-based learning can occur in multiple areas of the brain, even ones not typically associated with motor control.
After a week of violent attacks, some New York schools will teach students about hate crime awareness
(CNN)
The program will pair participating schools with community partners for anti-hate crime workshops, the mayor’s office said. Permanent curricula on hate crimes will launch in the 2020-2021 school year, available to schools citywide.
When it’s story time, animated books are better for learning
(Science Daily)
Researchers found that digital storybooks that animate upon a child’s vocalization offer beneficial learning opportunities, especially for children with less developed attention regulation.
Study shows Generation Z is the most stressed out by politics
(WCJB – ABC Gainsville, FL)
Soccer practice, homework and friends are the main things on Sydney Davis’ mind. As a college student, that’s all she should worry about. But on top of that, Davis, an environmental science major at Bridgewater College said climate change gives her added anxiety.
Students with high emotional intelligence may do better in school
(PsychCentral)
Students with high emotional intelligence — the ability to understand and manage emotions effectively — tend to get better grades and standardized test scores compared to their less skilled peers, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association.
How disinformation hacks your brain
(Scientific American)
The digital age has heightened our vulnerability to falsehood, but recognizing such weaknesses can help guard against them
The 100 worst ed-tech debacles of the decade
(Hack Education)
I thought for a good long while about how best to summarize this decade, and inspired by the folks at The Verge, who published a list of “The 84 biggest flops, fails, and dead dreams of the decade in tech,” I decided to do something similar: chronicle for you a decade of ed-tech failures and fuck-ups and flawed ideas.
Binge listen to the best podcasts on the science of learning
(Retrieval Practice)
Want to get caught up on the science of learning? Binge listen (that’s a thing, right?) to our favorite podcasts – more than 70 episodes full of the “why” (research on learning and memory) and the “how” (teaching strategies you can use tomorrow).
