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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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- Dual Coding: Boosting Learning Through Words and Images – White Dragon of East County on Visual & Verbal: Welcome to “Dual Coding”
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ABOUT THE BLOG
“How to Study Less and Learn More”: Explaining Learning Strategies...
Because cognitive science gives us such good guidance about learning, we want to share that…
What’s Better Than Caffeine (And Doesn’t Require Electrodes)?
Is there an easy way to help students use their working memory more effectively? Do we have to zap their brains with electricity to accomplish this goal? Continue reading
The Limits of “Desirable Difficulties”: Catching Up with Sans Forgetica
Can a hard-to-read font improve student learning? That’s a very strange question, but in 2019 we had some reasons to think the answer was “yes.” Just published research updates our understanding. Continue reading
“Doing Science” or “Being a Scientist”: What Words Motivate Students?
If teachers could boost students’ motivation — even slightly — by changing our language, would that effort be worth the time? Continue reading
Unbearable Irony: When Dunning-Kruger Bites Back…
People who don’t know much about a topic typically overestimate their expertise. We call this the Dunning-Kruger Effect. So: what happens when someone who doesn’t know much about the Dunning-Kruger Effect tries to explain it? Brace yourself for an excess of irony. Continue reading
Music and Memory: A Learning Strategy?
We know that sleep is good for learning. Is there anything we can do to make it EXTRA good? Perhaps, used strategically, music might hold the key. Continue reading
How Do Children Explain Academic Success? (And: How Do We...
All students think EFFORT is important for success. Do all students — even younger students — think that SKILL matters? Recent research explores this question. Continue reading
“Seductive Details”: When Do Cool Stories and Videos Interfere with...
When teachers include cool stories and funny videos in our lessons, does that ultimately help our students learn? A recent meta-analysis crunches the numbers. Continue reading
Beyond Retrieval Practice: The Benefits of Student-Generated Questions
Is it better to have students ANSWER questions or to ASK question? Recent research from Germany provides a helpfully specific way to think about study strategies. Continue reading
An Exciting Event In Mindfulness Research [Repost]
I’ve been reviewing old posts, looking for information that might be particularly helpful in today’s…
