A novice is not a little expert
There are many who think that children are just tiny humans, identical in all but size to an adult. As odd as this may sound in 2020, these are the same people that think that the cognitive/ intellectual development of a child (and by extension, a novice) into an adult (and by extension, into an expert) is just a matter of growth. But is it really? Do novices and experts think and learn in the same way?
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Can we boost elaboration with retrieval practice?
If you want to combine elaboration and retrieval practice, don’t just have students answer elaborative questions without being able to retrieve the answers.
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The advantages of explicit teaching
Research from last decades have shown that school plays a critical role in the achievement of students from disadvantaged social backgrounds and that the teacher’s pedagogical choices can be decisive for students’ academic achievement. Among the existing pedagogical orientations, two methods stand out and are frequently contrasted.
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“Zoom Fatigue” or how virtual meetings are leading to burnout and how to avoid
The need to work and study remotely that came with COVID-19 also brought us the widespread use of videoconferencing. On one hand, using video calls allows people to feel more connected bu, on the other hand, the constant use of these forms of communication can lead to exhaustion. This phenomenon was dubbed “zoom fatigue.” What causes it and how to avoid it?
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The Larger Costs from School Closures
The pandemic has forced many adjustments including the closures of schools and the uncertain re-opening of schools. The cost of disruption to schools has been widely underestimated. The current school children will face depressed lifetime earnings. And Portugal will find its economic future to be depressed.
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When the brain works better in the wild than in the schoolyard
Tackling bullying is one of the major challenges for schools. In mild cases, should adults encourage bullied children to solve the problem by themselves? Neuroscience research may give us a hint.
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The drill of how to chill for learning
You’ve just spent some time learning something challenging or studying for an exam. Now you’re done and ready to chill. But how? What’s your chill drill?
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Time Management: What is it, who has it, and can you improve it?
COVID-19 has produced a number of challenges for teachers, students, and parents. We have collected a number of resources to help with at home and distance learning. In today’s post I want to talk about another challenge that results from having our daily routines and work/study environments upended: time management.
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Retrieval Practice and Stress
School can be stressful, and 2020 has been a particularly stressful year for many of us. So, for this week’s blog, I thought I would write about retrieval practice and stress. Fortunately, I get to share some good news!
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Teaching or confusing the students? What the research tells us about the idea that «the teaching method must be varied»
Belgium and several other countries are discussing the possibility to base pedagogical choices on the competencies approach, the discovery approach, and pedagogical differentiation. Based on recent research, Clermont Gauthier, Steve Bissonnette and Marie Bocquillon criticise those proposals, but they point out that the teacher's action must maintain a stable orientation and vary learning activities according to the subject and the students, and not because of the idea that it is necessary to vary.
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Adolescent Procrastination, an Old New Concern for Teachers
Students are not born procrastinators. The behaviour of postponing tasks is a learned habit rooted in childhood. By following the five proven strategies described below, parents and teachers can help students develop resilience to procrastination.
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How to design – or choose – the best educational videos?
At a time when teachers are looking for ways to teach their classes online, videos can be allies. Even more so when there are already materials online that can be easily used. Scientific research has been lefting some clues on how to choose or build videos that best help students learn.
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