A closeup view looking along a post-an-rail fence on a prairie of brown and green

Getting Bossy about Jigsaws; “Don’t Fence Us In”

Back in February, I wrote about the “Jigsaw method” of teaching. In this strategy, teachers…



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A young student sits at a desk with her hands covering her eyes; a sympathetic teacher stands next to her with his hand on her shoulder

Updating the Great Cold-Call Debate: Does Gender Matter?

Edu-Twitter predictably cycles through a number of debates; in recent weeks, the Great Cold-Call Debate…



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Close up of student with head down on a wooden desk, hair covering his or her face. Other students are working out of focus in the background.

Can students “catch” attention? Introducing “Attention Contagion”

Every teacher knows: students won’t learn much if they don’t pay attention. How can we…



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A futuristic drawing of two heads facing each other, with dramatic lines showing extensive and expansive thinking

Should Teachers Be Excited about “Neural Synchrony”?

This blog — and this company — exist to give good advice to everyone who…



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An actor, presumably playing Hamlet, holding up a skull while standing against an all-black background

Improving Multiple-Choice Questions: A Thought-Provoking Pause

Many teachers carry strong ambivalence about multiple-choice questions (handy abbreviation: MCQs). On the one hand,…



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Middle schooler wearing headphones and doing work in front of her laptop at a desk

Just In Case: Improving Online Learning

We teachers benefit A LOT from research-based guidance, but we do have to acknowledge a few…



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A colorful bar graph, showing 20%, 40%, 60%,etc.

Graphic Disorganizers; or, When Should Teachers Decorate Handouts?

Teachers regularly face competing goals. For instance: On the one hand — obviously — we…



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A serious-looking college student examining her phone

To Insta or Not to Insta: That Is the Memory...

Here in the US, we’re having something of a national debate about the benefits/harms of…



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Crowds surround a burning mansion at night

I Am a Doctrinaire Extremist; S/he Is a Thoughtful Moderate

I recently had an email exchange with an educational thinker and leader who has spent…



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Side view of student girl enjoying summer breeze , smiling with eyes closed

Does Mind-Wandering Harm Learning?

If you teach children for several hours a day, you just know that sometimes they’re…



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