Teachers Still Believe in ‘Learning Styles’ and Other Myths About Cognition
(Education Week’s Teaching Now – Subscription Required, Free Trial)
More than three-fourths of teachers think that people are either right-brained (creative) or left-brained (analytical), and that those designations affect how they learn. And nearly all teachers endorsed the idea of “learning styles”—meaning that students learn more when their teachers tailor instruction to their individual styles, such as auditory, visual, or kinesthetic.
7 Tips on How to Take Better Notes
(The Conversation)
Advice from a Professor of Educational Psychology who’s studied note-taking for 40 years.
Are You Mentally Well Enough for College?
(The Conversation)
From my vantage point as a licensed psychologist who has worked in college mental health for a decade, this outcome points to what I believe is a bigger problem in higher education. And that is, at a time when parents and society are putting increased pressure on students to go to college in order to have a successful life, students’ mental health and overall readiness for college – both of which have greatly diminished in recent years – are being overlooked.
In Battle Against Bullies, Some Schools Target Parents
(Education Week – Subscription Required, Free Trial)
“They are enacted with the best of intentions, but we have no true empirical research to demonstrate that they will have the intended effect,” said Eve Brank, a professor of psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a researcher on parental liability laws.
Attending to Freshman Year Anxiety
(The Fordham Ram)
Amidst this transition, many freshmen struggle with their mental health, often for the first time.
Two Questions About Learning
(Effortful Educator)
This past week, I received an email from a fellow faculty member at the school where I work. The opening was great…her daughter, who was once in my class, wanted to say hello. 🙂 I love that. Doesn’t get any better than hearing from former students…even if it is just a hello. Then, my colleague asked me two questions…and they’re quite vast in their scope. I’d like to answer her questions below and then ask for your opinion on this.
Do Distressed Students Have a Right to Trauma-Sensitive Schooling?
(Education Week – Subscription Required, Free Trial)
All three young people have been identified with learning disabilities and all three say their repeated traumas complicate their special education needs.
Growing Price Tag for College Shutdowns
(Inside Higher Ed)
The federal government has approved more than $43 million for debt cancellation for students of recently shuttered for-profit colleges. And the total costs are likely to grow.
Report: Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Hasn’t Fixed Its Issues
(NPR’s All Things Considered)
A new report from a government watchdog offers some sobering news for student borrowers. The Government Accountability Office reviewed a program that Congress created last year to forgive the student loans of public servants. But the GAO found that so far, 99% of requests for loan forgiveness have been denied.
Congress Promised Student Borrowers A Break. Education Dept. Rejected 99% Of Them
(NPR’s Morning Edition)
Many borrowers have had similar experiences with PSLF, believing for years that they were working toward loan forgiveness only to realize later that they had been in the wrong repayment plan or held the wrong type of loan.
Report Cards on Women in Stem Fields Finds Much Room for Improvement
(Science Daily)
Data from a four-year study of institutional ‘report cards’ suggest that although a growing number of women are training in the sciences, efforts to promote and maintain women in more senior scientific roles are still largely inadequate.
Helping Students Develop Self-Regulation
(Edutopia)
Guiding students to create on an ongoing cycle of growth in self-regulation starts with having them set explicit goals for themselves.
Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Online Students
(Inside Higher Ed)
A university ramps up counseling services to meet the distinctive needs of online students (and their instructors).
Seven Strategies to Keep Students Motivated All Year Long
(KQED – Mind/Shift)
I developed some practical motivational strategies that helped my students reflect on their own work and learning environments.
For One Professor, How a Course on Evil Gave Students Hope
(The Chronicle of Higher Education)
Sometimes your best ideas come from a moment of desperation. That happened to Scott P. Roberts, and both his course, and his teaching, were transformed as a result. Roberts, then director of undergraduate studies in psychology, had introduced a course at the University of Maryland called The Psychology of Evil — part of a general-education series designed to encourage undergraduates to think about life’s big questions. But he was also flying by the seat of his pants.+
Schools Could Teach Children How to Be Happy – but They Foster Competition Instead
(The Conversation)
Diagnoses of mental disorders and drug prescriptions among school-age children have skyrocketed over the last two decades. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that 20% of children experience mental disorders – such as depression, anxiety and ADHD – at any given time.
How to Read Academic Content Once and Remember it Forever
(Medium.com)
Metacognition and spaced retrieval: science-backed learning techniques that work.
How To Do Well (And Be Happy!) In College
(NPR)
Laptop or paper notes? Highlighter or flashcards? And does music help while studying? Here’s how to take better notes and study so that you remember what you’ve learned — without getting crushed by college stress. Plus: what to do if you do feel crushed.
What Teachers Know About the Science of Learning?
(The Learning Agency)
Scientists know a lot about effective learning and teaching. In the past several decades, cognitive psychologists and other learning researchers have performed thousands of studies on effective learning.
How to Use Humor in Order to Teach and Learn More Effectively
(The Learning Scientists)
Humor can have a powerful effect on people; research shows that when people find something funny, they tend to pay more attention to it, and remember it better in the long term
Technology Brings Mental Health Counseling to Students in Rural Areas
(Parentology)
With more focus being placed on the mental health of students, conditions like anxiety and depression are being more readily diagnosed and treated. However, to obtain treatment, students and parents need access to mental health professionals. That’s where video conferencing technology will come into play.
Overstressed Students in New York Could Get Mental Health Days Excused If This Bill Passes
(CNN)
New York students could take mental health days off school, if a new bill is passed. As it stands, New York schools can decide for themselves what counts as an excused absence. But legislation introduced Wednesday would make mental or behavioral health issues permitted reasons for a student’s absence from school.
