Three Information Processing Strategies – Part 1 – Chunking Information

How can the simple processing strategy of chunking information increase retention of material?

March 1, 2021 0

Two Easy Strategies to Improve Multiple Choice Questions

How can students better use multiple choice questions for studying?

February 23, 2021 1

Excused Absence

Please excuse my absence.

December 29, 2020 6

Misunderstanding Retrieval Practice

Let's clear up some common misunderstandings about retrieval practice.

October 26, 2020 4

Studying 101

Easily applied tips for students to make their studying more effective and efficient.

October 22, 2020 1

Prioritizing What to Study

What material should be prioritized when studying?

October 15, 2020 1

Before, During, and After Thinking Strategies

How do our students consider their learning before, during, and after a lesson?

October 12, 2020 1

No Need to Apologize

Students shouldn't feel the need to apologize for learning.

September 4, 2020 3

Becoming Classroom Fit

Three rules for becoming fit in the classroom.

September 1, 2020 3

Asking the Teachers

You've read Ask A Researcher. Now it's time for the researchers to ask the teachers.

August 25, 2020 12

Honesty is the Best Policy – researchED 2020 Virtual Presentation

My presentation from virtual researchED 2020

August 19, 2020 0

Ask A Researcher #11 – Dr. Ayanna Thomas

Get to know the work of Dr. Ayanna Thomas and close the gap between researcher and teacher.

August 18, 2020 0

Keep It Simple

Some advice for teachers preparing for virtual learning.

August 14, 2020 5

Ask A Researcher #10 – Dr. Pooja Agarwal

Get to know the work of Dr. Pooja Agarwal and close the gap between researcher and teacher.

August 11, 2020 0

Ask A Researcher #9 – Dr. Althea Kaminske

Get to know the work of Dr. Althea Kaminske and close the gap between researcher and teacher.

August 4, 2020 0

Honesty is the Best Policy

Having honest conversations and providing honest assessments are integral in an effective classroom.

August 3, 2020 1

Principles to Improve the Effectiveness of Instructional Videos

Five to-dos and one to-don't when creating instructional videos.

July 31, 2020 5

Superfoods and Classroom Instruction

What sort of diet are you providing for your students?

July 29, 2020 1

Ask A Researcher #8 – Dr. Nick Soderstrom

Get to know the work of Dr. Nick Soderstrom and close the gap between researcher and teacher.

July 28, 2020 0

Desirable Difficulties Presentation

Link to a presentation on Desirable Difficulties in the classroom.

July 23, 2020 0

Ask A Researcher #7 – Dr. Brandy Tiernan

Get to know the work of Dr. Brandy Tiernan and close the gap between researcher and teacher.

July 21, 2020 0

Ask A Researcher #6 – Dr. Regan Gurung

Ask A Researcher #6 - Dr. Regan Gurung Get to know the work of Dr. Regan Gurung and close the gap between researcher and teacher.

July 14, 2020 0

Ask A Researcher #5 – Dr. Paul Kirschner

Get to know the work of Dr. Paul Kirschner and close the gap between researcher and teacher.

July 7, 2020 1

Ask A Researcher #4 – Dr. Katie Wissman

Get to know the work of Dr. Katie Wissman and close the gap between researcher and teacher.

June 30, 2020 0

Zooming In and Out

Knowledge allows students to zoom in and zoom out; to see the fine details and the bigger picture.

June 29, 2020 4

Ask A Researcher #3 – Dr. Joe Kim

Get to know the work of Dr. Joe Kim and close the gap between researcher and teacher.

June 23, 2020 0

Confidence Weighted Multiple-Choice Questioning

Can this strategy for answering multiple-choice questions improve retention of both correct and incorrect responses?

June 22, 2020 1

Focusing on the Classroom Environment

Is your classroom helping or hindering learning?

June 17, 2020 0

Ask A Researcher #2 – Dr. Kripa Sundar

Get to know the work of Dr. Kripa Sundar and close the gap between researcher and teacher.

June 16, 2020 1

Multiple-Choice Questioning as a Valuable Learning Opportunity

Can multiple-choice questions provide opportunities for learning superior to questions requiring recall of information?

June 14, 2020 1

Ask A Researcher #1 – Dr. Robert Bjork

Get to know the work of Dr. Robert Bjork and close the gap between researcher and teacher.

June 9, 2020 4

Repetition and Learning

If students want to retain information, they should repeat their studies, right? Maybe not.

June 8, 2020 13

Dealing with Reluctancy

Why are teachers/administrators reluctant to implement more effective learning strategies?

June 7, 2020 0

How Should I Study for the Test?

Two strategies to introduce to students when they ask, "How should I study for the test?"

June 6, 2020 2

Forgetting to Learn

Counter to intuition, forgetting can actually create a powerful condition for learning.

May 29, 2020 0

An Honest Assessment

Three criteria I use when deciding what material to include on retrieval practice opportunities.

May 27, 2020 2

Desiring Difficulties

How do we get students to desire the difficulties produced by more effective learning strategies?

May 22, 2020 5

Three Hurdles Students Must Clear to Maximize Assessment’s Benefits

What ideas about assessment block students from seeing it as a powerful tool for learning?

May 20, 2020 3

A Better Retrieval Practice?

There's evidence to support the use of diminishing cues retrieval practice in place of standard retrieval practice.

May 18, 2020 4

Learning vs. Performance in the Classroom

Are you measuring learning or performance with assessment in the classroom?

May 16, 2020 3

Five Pillars of the Cognition Conscious Classroom Presentation

Video, notes, and slides from a presentation I led.

May 15, 2020 1

Getting Started with the Cognitive Sciences

Where should teachers looking to get into the cognitive sciences start? What resources to read? Who to follow?

May 14, 2020 7

Book Review – The Psychology of Effective Studying

The Psychology of Effective Studying covers an array of topics relevant to academic success.

April 29, 2020 0

Ranking Multiple-Choice Answers to Increase Cognition

How can ranking multiple-choice answers increase cognition and understanding of material?

April 27, 2020 5

Five Essential Article Reads for Teachers

These five articles should be required reading for any teachers who want to improve learning in their classroom.

April 20, 2020 6

Book Review – How Learning Happens

How Learning Happens analyzes 28 giants of education research and discusses lessons for the classroom.

April 11, 2020 2

Five Pillars For My Online Classroom

What major considerations need to be made with the move to online learning?

April 2, 2020 2

Highs and Lows

Transitions in education can be difficult. There will be highs and lows.

March 30, 2020 2

Knowing When to Let Go in the Classroom

Are there parallels between teaching someone to ride a bike and leading a classroom of students?

March 27, 2020 0

Why I Assign Zeros

I assign zeros in my class. While this may be controversial, I believe the grade is sometimes deserved.

March 12, 2020 0

What Were They Thinking?

Maybe the most important question we can ask in our classroom is this: What were they thinking?

March 9, 2020 1

At My Breaking Point

Teachers are exploited by major conferences. What can we do about it?

March 4, 2020 6

How Do You Know What You Know?

I was recently asked this question: What advice would you give to a young adult student who can't tell whether she knows the material?

February 13, 2020 5

The Illusion of Multitasking and its Impact on Learning

How is the illusion of multitasking negatively impacting students' learning?

January 21, 2020 8

Growing a Brain Dump

How can growing a brain dump lead to more efficient and effective study habits?

January 13, 2020 5

Going Goal-Free During Formative Assessment

How can removing goals during assessment lead to better thinking with/about class material?

January 9, 2020 6

Three Practices to Avoid in the Classroom

No matter your subject or student's level, here are three practices to avoid in the classroom.

January 6, 2020 7

The Gilded Age of the Classroom

The gilding of the classroom is only cheapening the learning experience for our students.

January 5, 2020 2

Three Tips for Surviving in Teaching

This profession can be overwhelming. What have I learned in 14 years of teaching that have decreased stress/anxiety and helped me enjoy teaching so much more?

December 17, 2019 8

Pumping the Brakes on Innovation

Sometimes innovations aren't very...innovative. What makes an innovation in education worthwhile?

December 16, 2019 3

Recall or Recognition Questions When Retrieving?

When reviewing, should recall or recognition questions be provided for students to answer?

December 4, 2019 9

A Great Day Of Teaching…Or Was It?

How do you know when you've had a great day of teaching?

October 18, 2019 3

Who’s to Blame?

If a teacher gives an assignment that is copied, who's to blame? The teacher or the students?

October 9, 2019 4

An “Ah-Ha” Moment with Spaced Practice in the Classroom

I was recently given the perfect chance to show my students how powerful spacing practice can be on retrieval of material.

October 5, 2019 9

Building A Web Of Knowledge

How is learning information like building a spider web? Why is this important?

September 18, 2019 4

Fighting the Good Fight…Against Neuromyths

A recent article took a look at an intervention attempting to curtail the proliferation of neuromyths among teachers.

September 16, 2019 2

Edtech…We Have A Problem

Some statistics on effectiveness of edtech don't quite add up.

September 12, 2019 3

There’s Been A Misunderstanding

Never judge a book (a research article) by its cover (its title).

September 9, 2019 5

Two Questions About Learning

A colleague asked me two questions about learning. Here are my answers.

September 3, 2019 9

Practicing to Boredom in the Classroom

Maybe boredom, when used as an indicator of learning, can be quite useful in the classroom.

August 29, 2019 3