AI that agrees with you doesn’t necessarily make you smarter (but it may make you more confident)

Last year, I wrote here about what I called the silence of the countervoice in AI. The issue is fairly simple: many chatbots are designed to be helpful, friendly, and affirming. That makes interactions pleasant, but it can also mean that genuine disagreement appears less often. Or, as I summarised it at the time: if… Read More AI that agrees with you doesn’t necessarily make you smarter (but it may make you more confident)

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Funny on Sunday: A Linguist Sings The Blues

Of course, this is a reference to the great song Kris Kristofferson wrote, and Janis Joplin made famous. Found the image here. Check here for more Funny on Sunday.

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Does Well-Being Support Learning? Yes. But Learning Also Supports Well-Being

After my previous blog post on emotions and cognitive load, a reader raised an interesting point. He noted that negative emotions such as anxiety, shame, or stress can consume cognitive resources and make learning harder. That observation is well supported by research. When part of your working memory is occupied by worries or fear, fewer… Read More Does Well-Being Support Learning? Yes. But Learning Also Supports Well-Being

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How Do Schools Respond to Bullying?

Many people intuitively assume that schools intervene when students are bullied. That seems both logical and desirable. Bullying at school has clear consequences for well-being, school experience and sometimes even educational trajectories (see, for example, here). Moreover, we expect schools to create a safe environment. But what is a typical school response when bullying occurs?… Read More How Do Schools Respond to Bullying?

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Does well-being improve learning by reducing cognitive load? It’s more complicated than that

Some years ago, I wrote a post about a review by Hawthorne and colleagues that led to an interesting hypothesis: well-being might help learning by reducing cognitive load. The idea is intuitively appealing. When students feel bad, are stressed, or have something on their mind, stress will take a part of their mental capacity. This… Read More Does well-being improve learning by reducing cognitive load? It’s more complicated than that

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AI fatigue: I’m Getting a Little Tired of AI

Artificial intelligence is everywhere. That will not surprise anyone. Large language models such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini or Claude have quickly become part of our daily digital landscape. Students use them. Teachers use them. Policymakers use them. And those who don’t sometimes feel a subtle pressure to at least give them a try. I… Read More AI fatigue: I’m Getting a Little Tired of AI

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Evidence-informed education requires more than good intentions: How does research actually reach the classroom?

In recent years, the idea of evidence-informed education has been increasingly discussed in discussions about teaching. Policymakers refer to it. Research groups promote it. In conversations about education, it has almost become a default reference point: schools and teachers who should use research. From my own perspective, I am certainly not against this idea. Quite… Read More Evidence-informed education requires more than good intentions: How does research actually reach the classroom?

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Paper Mills and the Industrialisation of Scientific Fraud

Scientific fraud is often presented as a problem of individual researchers crossing the line. Think of cases such as Diederik Stapel, more recently Dan Ariely, or even Oliver Sacks. Someone fabricates data. Someone manipulates an image. And then someone writes an article that simply isn’t correct. But a recent PNAS study by Richardson et al. suggests that… Read More Paper Mills and the Industrialisation of Scientific Fraud

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Do Parents’ Smartphones Affect Children’s Attention and Behaviour?

Following my previous blog post about executive functions and the possible effects of the COVID period, I received an interesting question from a reader. In their staff room, they wondered whether something else might also play a role. Not only children’s own screen time, but also parents’ technology use. If parents are frequently on their… Read More Do Parents’ Smartphones Affect Children’s Attention and Behaviour?

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Funny on Sunday: this one is a bit silly, but it gave me a laugh

Check here for more Funny on Sunday.  

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