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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 book review boundary conditions classroom advice conference speakers constructivism/direct instruction creativity desirable difficulty development dual coding education elementary school embodied cognition emotion evolution executive function exercise experts and novices gender high school homework intelligence long-term memory math methodology middle school 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
![Female student using pale blue highlighter in a book](https://www.learningandthebrain.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AdobeStock_279258278.jpeg)
Getting the Details Just Right: Highlighting
Because the school year starts right now, I’m using this month’s blog posts to give…
![Student contentrating on taking notes and reading books in the library](https://www.learningandthebrain.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/AdobeStock_126229177.jpeg)
Getting the Details Just Right: Retrieval Practice
As we gear up for the start of a new school year, we’re probably hearing…
![3 students working together on a math problem](https://www.learningandthebrain.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/AdobeStock_564503033.jpeg)
Using “Worked Examples” in Mathematics Instruction: a New Meta-Analysis
Should teachers lets students figure out mathematical ideas and processes on their own? Or, should…
![A smiling young man wearing a jeans jacket, wool cap, and headphones sits at a desk and talks to a camera in front of him.](https://www.learningandthebrain.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/AdobeStock_558675736.jpeg)
“Teaching” Helps Students Learn: New Research
Not even two months ago, I admitted my skepticism about a popular teaching technique. While…
![Man wearing Virtual Reality goggles, making gestures in the air](https://www.learningandthebrain.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Virtual-Reality-768x576.jpg)
My Detective Adventure: “VR Will Transform Education” [Reposted]
Our blogger is off this week. He asked us to repost this piece, because he’ll…
![Learning Styles Vector](https://www.learningandthebrain.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Learning-Styles-Vector-768x576.jpg)
The Unexpected Problem with Learning Styles Theory [Reposted]
Our blogger will be taking the first two weeks of August off. This post generated…
Open Classroom Plans: The Effects on Reading
I’ve written frequently over the years about the effects of classroom decoration on learning. The…
![Group of middle-school children working with electrical equipment and an ipad](https://www.learningandthebrain.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/AdobeStock_455006173.jpeg)
Learning How to Learn: Optimists and Realists
In schools, optimism helps teachers a lot. At the beginning of the year, my students…
![](https://www.learningandthebrain.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/AdobeStock_415611485.jpeg)
Introducing “Schema Theory”
In the last few years, I’ve increasingly wondered if “schema theory” just might work a…
![Students talking with each other around a table](https://www.learningandthebrain.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/AdobeStock_336473590.jpeg)
Should students “teach” other students?
You will often hear about an exciting strategy to help students learn: they should teach one another….