Information about education provided online, with recent results of scientific research and useful information for teachers, parents, students and the general public. Contributing to an informed debate.
Dramatic New Evidence That Building Knowledge Can Boost Comprehension And Close Gaps
Building students’ general knowledge can lead to dramatic long-term improvements in reading comprehension, a new study suggests—casting serious doubt on standard teaching approaches.
Natalie Wexler
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The Gift of Gifted Children
When discussing education systems, the focus is usually on low-performing students. Often the reasons for a low performance are linked to the students’ disadvantaged socioeconomical or immigrant background: youngsters who struggle with their shortcomings, their motivation to learn and even to be at school. The other end of the spectrum is discussed less frequently.
Gunda Tire
Educational videos: do they work?
Educational videos proliferate on the Internet, but they might not be good pedagogical tools. A very recent study indicates that, in mathematics, educational videos only provide superficial learning. However, combining videos with effective learning strategies, such as retrieval practice, might increase the instructional value of the videos.
Ludmila Nunes
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Academic success is also the result of a good night's sleep
The quality of sleep remains generally underestimated, particularly with regard to academic performance. Two recently published studies have proven that good-quality sleep can contribute to academic success.
Joana Rato
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Does Developing a Growth Mindset Help Students Learn?
Growth mindset has become a wildly popular theory in the last 15 years, due not only to a book that has sold more than 2 million copies and a TED Talk that’s been viewed more than 14 million times but also to countless professional development sessions, Pinterest boards, and blog posts. It’s no wonder that in a 2016 survey of American teachers, just 4 percent said they were “completely unfamiliar” with mindset theory. Is there any substance behind the hype?
Daniel T. Willingham
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What if test anxiety does not predict a bad result?
Did you know that one in three students suffers from test anxiety, also known as school performance anxiety? Anxiety is often considered the cause of poor academic results for the more anxious students, but the precise relationship between the anxiety felt during an exam and student performance is still unclear. A recently published study explores the relationship between the anxiety felt in exams and during the preparation phase, and students’ results. One of its main conclusions is that the bigger the anxiety in the studying stage, the lower the tests scores and the knowledge acquired by students.
Iniciativa Educação
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Shower some love on the sentence
When students can’t understand what they’re reading, it may be because they’re unfamiliar with the complex syntax of written sentences. Teaching them how to write complex sentences about what they’re learning can help.
When Revising, Read Out Loud
Very frequently, I give writers (my students) the advice that they should read their work out loud while revising. I give this advice because it helps me to catch errors in writing, but I did not have evidence to back up my advice… until now.
Cindy Nebel
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When language prevents kids from succeeding at math
Students who don’t read well or lack crucial vocabulary often face unnecessary obstacles — not just in reading but also in math. Why is that?
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Differentiate differently?
Differentiation is a pedagogical approach that considers student heterogeneity in the classroom. Most of the literature on differentiated teaching proposes a constructivist or socio-constructivist perspective. This pedagogical vision is not based on evidence. There is a different, more research-based approach to differentiation, namely the Response to Intervention (RtI) model.
Clermont Gauthier
Steve Bissonnette
Five ways our intuition can mislead us about learning
Our perceptions about what’s working in the learning process often conflict with scientific findings. That can make it harder for teachers and students to be successful.
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What are the future reading challenges for Covid-era babies?
We know the pandemic has had a serious negative impact on the academic achievement of school-age children. But recent evidence shows we also need to worry about Covid-era babies and toddlers.
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