For Teachers

Like Doug Lemov, author of Teach Like a Champion, describes, the forgetting curve is an “imperfect” but “useful” tool (originally developed by a psychologist named Herman Ebingghaus in 1885 (2)) that helps us understand just how fast humans forget without review. In my case, asking my students to recall content that they hadn’t seen in…

Of course we love reading and think that blogs are great. But, we also love podcasts! Podcasts are a great way to digest information on the go. It can also be nice to take a break from screens, step outside and get moving while listening to a podcast. We have our own, The Learning Scientists…

As with most things, the state vs trait debate is nuanced. I don’t think any personality psychologist would claim that personality is entirely state-based or entirely-trait-based. Instead, it’s somewhere in between. You may have general tendencies, but find yourself thinking, feeling, and behaving differently depending on the context. While you may tend to be shy…

By Carolina Kuepper-TetzelI have recently published a paper (with co-author Paul Gardner) on the effects of temporary mark withholding on academic performance and feedback views in university students (1). Temporary mark withholding is a feedback strategy whereby on assignments students are provided with the feedback first without their marks – then, a few days later,…

What is SQ3R?SQ3R stands for survey, question (or query), read, recite, review. It is a method designed in the 1940s to improve reading comprehension. Here is the brief overview of each step:Survey: First, go through and get a lay of the land. Look at headings and subheadings, graphics, highlighted words, maybe summary paragraphs. Get an…

By Althea Need KaminskeIt’s January 2021! A new year and a fresh start. Given the general stress last year between the on-going COVID-19 pandemic and the switch online learning in order to avoid exposure to COVID-19, I think it’s safe to assume that most of us were feeling pretty burned out by the end of…

While concept mapping is popular, some research has shown that creating concept maps, when students have the material in front of them, is not as effective as retrieval practice (1). Other scholars have noted that it takes time to teach students to make concept maps in order for their use to be effective at enhancing…

Despite our best intentions to stay focused, we may find our mind wandering from time to time. While there may be good reason for your mind to wander (see below!), It can certainly affect your ability to pay attention at crucial times. This week we've gathered resources on mind wandering.

For further reading on note taking, check out some of our previous posts:How Should Students Take Notes?Factors of Effective Note-Taking: Application of Cognitive Load TheoryIf you would like to read some of the research that was mentioned in the video, then check out these articles:Jansen, R. S., Lakens, D., & IJsselsteijn, W. A. (2017). An…

Online learning and teaching is the new normal in most educational institutions. Maybe your institution is taking a blended approach with a mix of online and face-to-face delivery or went all the way online teaching. Either way, with an increasing amount of teaching happening online the question is: How can we engage our students? In…