Kindergarten students sitting on the floor, listening to the teacher at the chalkboard

The Cold-Calling Debate: Potential Perils, Potential Successes

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: October 22, 2023

Some education debates focus on BIG questions: high structure vs. low structure pedagogy? technology: good…

A primary school student wearing a backpack and sitting at a desk raises an eager hand.

Navigating Complexity: When 1st Order Solutions Create 2nd Order Problems

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: October 15, 2023

Here’s a common classroom problem. As I’m explaning a complex concept, a student raises a…

3 middle school students working together on a problem from a textbook

Collaborative Learning and Working Memory Overload: Good News or Bad?

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: October 8, 2023

Consider the following paradox: Teachers need to give students instructions — of course we do! After…

Exasperated teacher standing in the middle of a chaotic classroom, holding her hands on her head and shouting

The Dangers of “The Big Ask”: In Defense of Stubborn...

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: October 2, 2023

Let’s face it: teaching is hard. I’ve been a classroom teacher for roughly 20 years —…

Picture of a student doing acrobatic movement in the classroom while carrying backpack with doodles on the blackboard

“Embodied Cognition” in Action: Using Gestures to Teach Science

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: September 26, 2023

Here’s a topic that has gotten lots of enthusiastic attention in recent years: embodied cognition….

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Why We Forget and How to Remember Better by Dr....

Erik Jahner, PhD
by: Erik Jahner, PhD
Posted on: September 19, 2023

Why We Forget and How to Remember Better by Dr. Andrew E. Budson and Dr….

An artist's table, covered with an organized but overwhelming collection on pencils, pens, markers, and so forth

Getting the Principles Just Right: Classroom Decoration

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: September 17, 2023

The benefits of classroom decoration seem intuitive. After all, we decorate our homes in order…

Young students reading and concentrating

Getting the Details Just Right: “Pre-questions”

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: September 12, 2023

Teachers, of course, ask students questions. ALL THE TIME with the questions. We ask questions…

Female student using pale blue highlighter in a book

Getting the Details Just Right: Highlighting

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: September 3, 2023

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

Getting the Details Just Right: Retrieval Practice

Andrew Watson
by: Andrew Watson
Posted on: August 28, 2023

As we gear up for the start of a new school year, we’re probably hearing…