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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Watson
Andrew began his classroom life as a high-school English teacher in 1988, and has been working in or near schools ever since. In 2008, Andrew began exploring the practical application of psychology and neuroscience in his classroom. In 2011, he earned his M. Ed. from the “Mind, Brain, Education” program at Harvard University. As President of “Translate the Brain,” Andrew now works with teachers, students, administrators, and parents to make learning easier and teaching more effective. He has presented at schools and workshops across the country; he also serves as an adviser to several organizations, including “The People’s Science.” Andrew is the author of "Learning Begins: The Science of Working Memory and Attention for the Classroom Teacher."
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ADHD adolescence attention autism book review boundary conditions classroom advice conference speakers constructivism/direct instruction creativity desirable difficulty development dual coding elementary school embodied cognition emotion evolution exercise experts and novices gender high school homework intelligence long-term memory math methodology middle school mind-wandering mindfulness Mindset motivation neuromyths neuroscience online learning parents psychology reading retrieval practice self-control skepticism sleep STEM stress technology working memoryRecent Comments
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ABOUT THE BLOG
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Does a Teacher’s Enthusiasm Improve Learning?
Sometimes research confirms our prior beliefs. Sometimes it contradicts those beliefs. And sometimes, research adds…
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When Analogies Go Wrong: The Benefits of Stress?
An amazing discovery becomes an inspiring analogy: Researchers at BioSphere 2 noticed a bizarre series…
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Handwritten Notes or Laptop Notes: A Skeptic Converted?
Here’s a practical question: should our students take notes by hand, or on laptops? If…
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Too Good to Be True? “Even Short Nature Walks Improve...
Good news makes me nervous. More precisely: if I want to believe a research finding, I…
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Working Memory: Make it Bigger, or Use it Better?
Cognitive science has LOTS of good news for teachers. Can we help students remember ideas…
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Learning How to Learn: Do Video Games Help?
Long-time readers know: I like research that surprises me. If a study confirms a belief…
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Don’t Hate on Comic Sans; It Helps Dyslexic Readers (Asterisk)
People have surprising passions. Some friends regularly announce that the Oxford comma is a hill…
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Perspectives on Critical Thinking: Can We Teach It? How Do...
Imagine the following scenario: A school principal gathers wise cognitive scientists to ask a straightforward…
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Do Classroom Decorations Distract Students? A Story in 4 Parts…
Teacher training programs often encourage us to brighten our classrooms with lively, colorful, personal, and…