Perhaps the most popular of all cognitive science topics is retrieval practice. It is popular, practical for teachers, familiar enough compared to lots of common teaching habits (quizzes and similar) and it has lots of research to explore its impact. Right now, we hear notes of caution around potential lethal mutations, such as mandated quizzes […]
5 Free Research Reads On… Retrieval Practice Read More »
What if tools commonly used in the classroom threaten to inhibit the learning they were developed to support? Too often, a well-meaning teaching tool can get detached from the thinking which made it useful and so its original ingredients for learning are long lost. Commonly, after a couple of years, institutional memory loss in schools
Is it time to KO the Knowledge Organiser? Read More »
Today the Education Endowment Foundation has released their latest guidance report on ‘Metacognition and Self-regulation‘. I have been delighted to be one of the co-writers of this exciting report, alongside Eleanor Stringer and Professor Daniel Muijs: I have also written a blog for the EEF on ‘Making Sense of Metacognition’ in which I explore
Unwrapping the Mystery of Metacognition Read More »
It is that time of year again. Nerves fray, students and teachers (probably parents too) as we arm our students with the obligatory revision strategies, resources, wall plans, flashcards, apps, highlighters, revision guides, and whatever else we can get our hands on, in the flimsy hope that some of it sticks. After a decade or
Exam Revision and Overconfidence Read More »
Carol Dweck’s research on the dichotomy of the growth and fixed mindset has proven near ubiquitous in schools over the past couple of years. It has proven the topic of a thousand inspirational assemblies, many a wall display, and has offered interesting debates about motivation and psychology in relation to learning. Of course, when wide-spread
The Growth Mindset ‘Collection’ Read More »
(Image credit: Jonathan Kim – https://www.flickr.com/photos/jkim1/452830868) If a student can’t write, all eyes turn to the English department. Whether it is a brief in an Art lesson or a write up of a science experiment, if the writing isn’t up to standard then those deemed responsible for creating perfect prose-producers feel the heat. There is major
Teaching Writing Isn’t Just for English Teachers Read More »
This blog series was inspired by the simple and complex truth, offered by Professor Rob Coe, that we need to get students thinking hard to learn best. The first post in my series, entitled ‘Thinking Hard…And Why We Avoid It‘, explores why our students’ lazy brains let them down and how their thinking is
Thinking Hard… Practical Solutions for the Classroom Read More »
