Tag Archives: classroom advice

Young girl at school practicing yoga on a mat

When Experience Contradicts Research: The Problem with Certainty

A friend recently told me about his classroom experience using mindfulness to promote thoughtful and…



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A young student sits at a desk with her hands covering her eyes; a sympathetic teacher stands next to her with his hand on her shoulder

Updating the Great Cold-Call Debate: Does Gender Matter?

Edu-Twitter predictably cycles through a number of debates; in recent weeks, the Great Cold-Call Debate…



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Close up of student with head down on a wooden desk, hair covering his or her face. Other students are working out of focus in the background.

Can students “catch” attention? Introducing “Attention Contagion”

Every teacher knows: students won’t learn much if they don’t pay attention. How can we…



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A colorful bar graph, showing 20%, 40%, 60%,etc.

Graphic Disorganizers; or, When Should Teachers Decorate Handouts?

Teachers regularly face competing goals. For instance: On the one hand — obviously — we…



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A closeup of four hands holding out single puzzle pieces, trying to see how to put them together well.

The Jigsaw Advantage: Should Students Puzzle It Out?

The “jigsaw” method sounds really appealing, doesn’t it? Imagine that I’m teaching a complex topic: say,…



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Young teacher wearing sweater and glasses sitting on desk at kindergarten clueless and confused expression with arms and hands raised.

Overwhelmed Teachers: The Working-Memory Story (Part II) [Updated with Link]

Last week, I offered an unusual take on working memory in the classroom. Typically, I…



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

The Cold-Calling Debate: Potential Perils, Potential Successes

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



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Female student using pale blue highlighter in a book

Getting the Details Just Right: Highlighting

Because the school year starts right now, I’m using this month’s blog posts to give…



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Student contentrating on taking notes and reading books in the library

Getting the Details Just Right: Retrieval Practice

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



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3 students working together on a math problem

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…



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