Screen Use Tied To Children’s Brain Development
(New York Times: Subscription Require, Free Trial )
In a study, preschoolers who used screens less had better language skills.
Math Looks The Same In The Brains Of Boys And Girls, Study Finds
(NPR Shots)
A study of 104 children from ages 3 to 10 found similar patterns of brain activity in boys and girls as they engaged in basic math tasks, researchers reported Friday in the journal Science of Learning.
Learning Is Optimized When We Fail 15% Of The Time
(Science Daily)
If you’re always scoring 100%, you’re probably not learning anything new. Research found that the ‘sweet spot’ for learning is 85%. To learn new things, we must sometimes fail. But what’s the right amount of failure? New research led by the University of Arizona proposes a mathematical answer to that question.
“Inquiry Learning” May Backfire
(EducationNext)
This is because inquiry learning ignores what we know about the mind. It ignores that we have very limited working memories, that new academic knowledge has to pass through working memory and so we need to limit and control what we wish students to pay attention to in the first steps of learning. Otherwise we will overload them. This is why providing models and worked examples is effective. This is why confronting novices with an open-ended problem embellished with arbitrary and distracting real-world details is not effective.
How to Be an Antiracist Educator
(ASCD Education Update)
As a social and emotional learning (SEL) practitioner-scholar, I am fortunate to get invitations to support schools and districts all over the United States. When schools and districts learn that I address SEL within the larger sociopolitical context, integrating culturally responsive and SEL practices to ensure equitable student outcomes, some are excited. Too many, however, insist that there is no need to discuss equity or culturally responsive practices; their school population is mostly white.
Engagement and Interest
(The Learning Scientists)
Despite its importance to students and teachers alike, engagement is a tricky concept to define. When I press people on what they mean by engagement, it seems to mean some mix of attention, “active” learning, and interest. But how can you tell if someone is engaged in learning? And do interest and attention lead to better learning?
Students Think Lectures Are Best, But Research Suggests They’re Wrong
(Edutopia)
A study reveals students prefer low-effort learning strategies—like listening to lectures—despite doing better with active learning.
WTF? Slurs Offend Young Adults More Than Swearing
(The Conversation)
A cognitive scientist observes that the words that bother college-age Americans today can cause harm.
School-Based Sleep Program May Benefit Adolescents
(Science Daily)
A recent study uncovered potential long-term benefits of a school-based sleep education program for adolescents.
How Ed Schools Became a Bastion of Bad Ideas
(The Chronicle of Higher Education – Subscription Required)
A tale of assessment, learning styles, and other notorious concepts.
Most Of Nation’s Top Public Universities Aren’t Affordable For Low-Income Students
(NPR)
Access to public universities can be critical for low-income students because those institutions can serve as engines for upward mobility. And these schools aren’t living up to their responsibility to remain affordable, says Mamie Voight, one of the study’s authors from IHEP.
CDC: Childhood Trauma Is A Public Health Issue And We Can Do More To Prevent It
(NPR Shots)
Childhood trauma causes serious health repercussions throughout life and is a public health issue that calls for concerted prevention efforts. That’s the takeaway of a report published Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What Is ‘Design Thinking’? And Why Does It Belong In Classrooms?
(Washington Post)
Actually, it’s already there — but teachers may not know it
If We Want To Accelerate Student Learning, We Need To Redesign The School Day
(Fordham Institute)
Historically, literacy instruction in the United States privileges the privileged. It starts in the earliest grades, when less systematic approaches favored in many early literacy curricula privilege students who arrive at school more comfortable with language and books. Weak or spotty foundational skills instruction during these early grades makes it difficult for many students to attain the reading proficiency they need to read.
