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The Limits of “Desirable Difficulties”: Catching Up with Sans Forgetica

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: June 4, 2020

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 →

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Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization by Scott Barry Kaufman

Rebecca Gotlieb
by: Rebecca Gotlieb
Posted on: May 28, 2020

Scott Barry Kaufman, author/editor of bold and brilliant books including Ungifted, Wired to Create, and…

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“Doing Science” or “Being a Scientist”: What Words Motivate Students?

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: May 27, 2020

If teachers could boost students’ motivation — even slightly — by changing our language, would that effort be worth the time? Continue reading →

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Unbearable Irony: When Dunning-Kruger Bites Back…

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: May 20, 2020

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 →

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Music and Memory: A Learning Strategy?

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: May 15, 2020

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 →

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How Do Children Explain Academic Success? (And: How Do We...

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: May 6, 2020

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 →

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“Seductive Details”: When Do Cool Stories and Videos Interfere with...

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: April 25, 2020

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 →

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How We Learn: Why Brains Learn Better Than Any Machine…...

Rebecca Gotlieb
by: Rebecca Gotlieb
Posted on: April 21, 2020

What is learning and how do we accomplish it? Stanislas Dehaene, a cognitive neuropsychologist and…

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Beyond Retrieval Practice: The Benefits of Student-Generated Questions

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: April 18, 2020

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 →

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An Exciting Event In Mindfulness Research [Repost]

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: April 10, 2020

I’ve been reviewing old posts, looking for information that might be particularly helpful in today’s…