The effects of remote learning on the progress of students before and during the pandemic
Ever since March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced schools to replace in-person teaching with remote means of learning. These unprecedented circumstances are, for the evangelists of technology, ideal for the complete transformation of the regular teaching system, favouring the concept of the virtual school and the development of 21st century competences, the rising personalisation of student learning paths and truly differentiated education.
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How to overcome the devastating consequences of Covid-19 on student achievement? The example of resilient students
The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedent challenge that caught unprepared the health systems of all countries of the world and, at the same time, is exerting devastating consequences on social, economic and educational systems. It is still too early to measure the extent of this negative impact in increasing inequalities and more generally in worsening the living conditions of a large share of the world population. Some data from pre-COVID periods, however, can help in setting expectations.
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Math at Your Fingertips! Why does counting on their fingers help kids calculate?
How frequent is it to have toddlers showing their fingers when asked about their age, across different cultures? How commonly do children start by silently holding up their fingers to implicitly find the answer for that same question? How do they end up using this ability when starting to develop mathematical skills, by holding up five fingers on one hand and counting to two while raising two fingers on the other hand when asked to add 5 and 2?
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The Impact of COVID-19 on Education
COVID-19 school closures have brought significant disruption in education. Emerging evidence suggests that the pandemic is resulting in learning losses and increases in inequality. To reduce and reverse the long-term negative effects, countries need to implement learning recovery programs, protect educational budgets, and prepare for future shocks.
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Motivation is importante but it's not enough
Students who are more motivated, feel safe in their school environment, know how to manage their feelings and behaviors, and whose parents are involved in their education can have better educational outcomes than their peers. A new study supports this old idea. However, this study also indicates that these factors, not very related with intelligence or school aptitude, appear to benefit more the students who already have a good achievement than the students who still must develop a solid knowledge base.
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Four strategies to boost student’s transfer and application of their knowledge to new contexts
Retrieval practice—taking practice tests—is a powerful study strategy. However, does the learning gained from the test transfer to other contexts and contents different from the ones tested? A meta-analysis indicates that, under the right circumstances, using practice tests can indeed lead to a transfer of learning to different contexts and contents (i.e., using prior learning in a novel context).
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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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Technology and Education. An effective alliance?
Education is no stranger to technological innovation. However, doubts remain about the effectiveness of the use of technology in education. What scientific evidence is there showing that the use of tablets and computers improves student performance? A very recent study used PISA data from over 80,000 students to try to answer these and other questions.
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The importance of the class start times
The challenge of defining timetables is common to most schools and has more or less obvious consequences on pupils' lives. A study just out adds new data to what research has told us about the importance of the time of day for classes to take place. After all, is there a specific timetable for good results?
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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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Who's afraid of mathematics?
Research shows that a significant number of students are anxious about mathematics, which can affect their school performance as well as their academic trajectories and emotional well-being. It is important to understand this problem and identify the best strategies to address it. In a recent study, the authors concluded that the most effective strategy may ultimately be the training of mathematical principals.
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