inventingsjb

Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain by...

by: landb
Posted on: November 20, 2018

More than any other life stage adolescence is derided and characterized as an unpredictable, turbulent…

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Choosing a Knowledge-Rich Curriculum: Pros and Cons

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: November 18, 2018

Should our curriculum focus on knowledge or skills? Jon Brunskill debates this question with himself in…

adolescent brain

Surprise: The Adolescent Brain Isn’t Broken

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: November 16, 2018

Chapter 2 of Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain kicks off with…

retrieval practice limitations

The Limits of Retrieval Practice, Take II…

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: November 13, 2018

Just two weeks ago, I posted about a study showing potential boundary conditions for retrieval practice:…

amygdala

This Is Your Amygdala on a Cliff…

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: November 11, 2018

If you’ve seen the documentary Free Solo, you know about Alex Honnold’s extraordinary attempt to climb…

handwritten notes

Ask a Simple Question, Get an Oversimplified Answer

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: November 8, 2018

Handwritten notes might help students who review them, but laptop notes seem to help those who don’t. In brief: even simple questions have complex answers. Continue reading →

math teaching

Evaluating the Best Classroom Practices for Teaching Math

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: November 6, 2018

Analyzing TIMSS data, researchers draw tentative conclusions about math teaching: memorizing formulas & hearing lectures vs. applying math to “real life.” Continue reading →

media multitasking

Does Media Multitasking Really Interfere with Student Thinking?

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: November 3, 2018

To many teachers, it just seems obvious: all that screen times MUST be bad for…

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Avoiding Extremes: Common Sense in the Middle

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: November 2, 2018

Teachers feel passionate about our work. As a result, we can advocate exuberantly — occasionally…

The Limits of Retrieval Practice: A Helpful Case Study

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: October 30, 2018

Here on the blog, I write A LOT about the benefits of “retrieval practice.” (For…