Thief peering around the corner of a wall at painting he might steal from a museum

Reframing Motivation: Urgent vs. Interesting

You are walking through a museum after closing time, peering into room after room. You…



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Young children sit on the floor eagerly listening to a teacher, off camera

Help Me Understand: Narrative Is Better than Exposition

I’m straight-up asking for some guidance here. Here’s the story… “Psychologically Privileged” For many years…



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Arrows pointed to the center of a target

Feedback Before Grades? Research and Practice…

The plan sounds so simple: Students practice a new skill. Teachers give them feedback. Using…



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mathematics professor solving complex equations on a blackboard

Which Is Better: “Desirable Difficulty” or “Productive Struggle”?

The obvious answer to my question is: “what a silly question.” After all, the two…



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The cover of Walkthru: a bright yellow and white cover, with a drawing of two teachers thinking and talking together

“Comprehensive and Manageable”: Walkthrus Has It All

Teachers who want to rely on cognitive science to improve our teaching have SO MANY…



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A brighly colored beac ball floating in a vibrantly blue pool

How to Change Students’ Minds? Create Surprise…

Sometimes teaching is challenging. And sometimes, it’s REALLY challenging. For instance: Because I’m an English…



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Book Cover for Teaching & Learning Illuminated

Classroom Cognition Explained, or, Dual Coding Just Right

The Good News: research into cognitive science can be SPECTACULARLY USEFUL to teachers. (That’s why…



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Penguins grouped together into the shape of a heart

An Argument Against “Chunking”

Learning and the Brain exists so that we can talk about good teaching together. Although…



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Young woman draws an animated storyboard

Do Animations Improve Learning? A Definitivie Answer, Please…

Recently I discussed working memory overload with a group of wise and thoughtful teachers. I showed…



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The Whole Toolbox in One (Free) Download

If you want to learn more about improving teaching with psychology research, I’ve got good…



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