Most people know the benefits of eating vegetables. Yet, according the CDC, approximately 1 in 10 Americans aren't getting their daily recommended vegetable intake (2*). So if we know the importance of vegetables for optimal health, why are we having this vegetable-eating problem?
GUEST POST: When Implementing Retrieval and Spaced Practice in the Science Classroom, Change Won’t Happen Overnight
I teach Biology and Human Anatomy and Physiology at a High School in southeastern Pennsylvania. I regularly use practice quizzes as a way for students to prepare for my exams (particularly in Anatomy). I collected data for years on student test performance and quiz behavior; students that take …
A Brief Overview of Working Memory
Working memory is an important concept that we’ve referred to in passing in several other Learning Scientist posts. This relatively simple concept influences how we think about learning and memory, so I wanted to give a brief overview of what working memory is, some theories about working memory, and why it’s important.
Conducting Research Projects in Collaboration with Teachers
Last year, I founded the TILE (Teaching Innovation and Learning Enhancement) network at the University of Dundee. It’s a network that brings people from different disciplines and sectors together to discuss issues in education and ways to overcome them using research findings. In October 2018, Dr Peter Verkoeijen came all the way from the Netherlands to give a talk on applied research in the classrooms…
GUEST POST: Self-Referencing as a Tool to Improve Learning
Educators are frequently bombarded with new teaching initiatives - advice on techniques to maximise engagement and learning, the latest ‘big thing’ in education. It can be difficult to work out which ideas are genuinely helpful and easy to put into practice, and which are best ignored.
GUEST POST: The 5-Sided Flashcard
The first flashcards were probably etched on small stone tablets by anxious cave-students. Innovations since then have included printed cards, new fonts, color, and the ability to design flashcards on-line. But I’m here to tell you about what I (humbly) consider the best innovation ever: The 5-sided flashcard.