For Teachers

Images above by WOKANDAPIX, Yinan Chen, Taken, kieurope, M S, and GSLCMedia, from PixabayWe are able to categorize, and to generalize. Every time you see a chair that you have never seen before, you don’t have to learn that it is a chair and can be used for sitting. This is because you have learned some general rules…

Many AI chatbot platforms are designed to simulate human relationships and are marketed as companions or experts. The APA urges for safeguards to mitigate harm because 1) adolescents are less likely to question the accuracy and intent of the chatbot and 2) adolescents’ relationship with AI may displace or interfere with development of healthy, real-world…

The question then is whether imitation is the best approach to learning pronunciation or whether an alternative approach is equally or more effective. Kang et al. (1) investigated exactly this research question. They looked at comprehension and production (i.e., pronunciation) of foreign language words and pitched an imitation approach against a retrieval practice approach. In…

Cover image by Tara Winstead from PexelsBy Carolina Kuepper-TetzelMarking rubrics for assessments can be a powerful tool to set marking expectations and criteria for an assessment and support students in understanding the feedback they receive. Rubrics are most effective if introduced to students from the start and integrated in activities focused on the assessment. I…

Lever 1: Perceived ValueIn order to better explain motivation, I want you to consider something that you really really hate having to do. I’m going to use compliance training as an example throughout, but you can replace it with any other activity that you just lack the motivation to accomplish. As an employee at my…

The researchers conducted six experiments. I will focus on the details of the first experiment here, and I will note the overall findings from the paper in the conclusion.Experiment 1Students from Year 8 in Wollongong, Australia (8th grade equivalent in the US) participated in the experiment. The students were randomly assigned to one of three…

References1.      Lewis, J. & Stiebahl, S. (2025). Student mental health in England: Statistics, policy, and guidance. Research briefing, House of Commons Library. https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8593/CBP-8593.pdf2.      McEwen, B. S. (2006). Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators: central role of the brain. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 8(4), 367–381. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2006.8.4/bmcewen3.      Schneiderman, N., Ironson, G., & Siegel, S. D. (2005). Stress and…

Cover image by ViJakob from PixabayDigest compiled by Megan SumerackiFor those of us in the northern hemisphere, summer* is coming! Whether you have two weeks or almost two months left in your academic year, the warmer weather and growing plants are a regular reminder that we’re getting closer every day to our summer break. Summer…

ResultsIn Experiment 1, participants who justified their answers scored about 10% higher on the test than those who did not. Importantly, that’s their MC correctness; the researchers didn’t examine their actual justifications (which happens to be great news for busy teachers). When looking at how students thought they would do, there was an interesting interaction.…

Cover image by Prawny from PixabayBy Megan SumerackiIn the first year that our blog was created—2016—I wrote a piece titled, Retrieval Practice Improves Learning, But Will it Help ALL of My Students? In this piece, I covered an experiment conducted by Pooja Agarwal and colleagues (1) about the benefits of retrieval practice for students with…