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.
Understanding how we learn: An interview with John Sweller
In this interview, the man behind cognitive load theory shares his thoughts about memory, explicit instruction and how evidence-based practices can improve student learning.
Iniciativa Educação
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Can vocabulary and knowledge be effectively developed in early childhood education? The benefits of a content-rich literacy curriculum
More people are learning to read than ever before. However, pupils’ performance in reading fluently and understanding what they read remains unsatisfactory — a trend aggravated by the covid-19 pandemic. As a result, reading comprehension has become an increasingly important focus of research. A 2025 study focusing on preschool education seeks to address two specific questions in this context. Does integrating vocabulary instruction with content knowledge help preschoolers’ reading comprehension? And do variables such as the children’s prior knowledge when they start preschool, their socioeconomic background, or the fact that they are being taught in a second language influence the outcomes?
Célia Oliveira
Soraia Araújo
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Cold Calling and Classroom Discussions
Inserting questions into a lecture, and encouraging students to covertly retrieve through cold calling, ought to improve learning from a lesson. If time does not permit writing out the answers (one form of overt retrieval), or doing so would disrupt the flow of a discussion, then students should still benefit from bringing the information to mind if they are encouraged to do so fully through cold calling.
Megan Sumeracki
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Math Practices You Can Count On: Part 5
Research-validated practices have been shown to be effective for student mathematics outcomes across multiple studies. In this five-part series, we explain the practice, the research that supports the practice, and what this practice might look like in the classroom.
Centre for Independent Studies
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Math Practices You Can Count On: Part 4
Research-validated practices have been shown to be effective for student mathematics outcomes across multiple studies. In this five-part series, we explain the practice, the research that supports the practice, and what this practice might look like in the classroom.
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Math Practices You Can Count On: Part 3
Research-validated practices have been shown to be effective for student mathematics outcomes across multiple studies. In this five-part series, we explain the practice, the research that supports the practice, and what this practice might look like in the classroom.
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Math Practices You Can Count On: Part 2
Research-validated practices have been shown to be effective for student mathematics outcomes across multiple studies. In this five-part series, we explain the practice, the research that supports the practice, and what this practice might look like in the classroom.
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Math Practices You Can Count On: Part 1
Research-validated practices have been shown to be effective for student mathematics outcomes across multiple studies. In this five-part series, we explain the practice, the research that supports the practice, and what this practice might look like in the classroom.
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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.
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