It is a remark I have heard more than once over the past few years from teachers, or seen appearing in Teacher Tapp results. Not as a grand theory or dramatic analysis, but simply as an observation from the classroom: “Since Covid, it seems as if some pupils have more difficulty paying attention.”“It takes longer… Read More Since the pandemic, some pupils seem to find it harder to sustain their attention
Autonomy is one of those concepts in education that almost automatically sounds positive. Giving students autonomy. Offering choices. Encouraging self-direction. However, autonomy frustration in school can be a real issue for both students and teachers. But in our psychology book and also here on this blog, I have discussed before that the story is somewhat… Read More Autonomy at School: The Difference Between “Having No Choice” and “Being Forced”
The idea that some people are “left-brain types” and others “right-brain types” is one of the most persistent educational myths I have been fighting for more than ten years. The notion was invented by an advertising man in New York in the previous century, yet it remains remarkably popular. New brain studies only make that… Read More Why intelligence is not located in one hemisphere of the brain (new research)
Young people are surrounded by many peers in their daily lives. One of the most important topics in adolescent development is peer influence among adolescents. But which peers influence what? A paper by Mary Page Leggett-James, René Veenstra, Goda Kaniušonytė and Brett Laursen answers part of that question. The authors directly compare the influence of… Read More Not all peers are equal: who influences what among young people?
In debates about education policy, ideas are quickly sorted into ideological boxes. Left. Right. Centrist. The same increasingly happens with evidence-informed education. Is it progressive? Is it conservative? Or does it float above politics altogether? The question sounds simple. The answer is not. In 2024, I watched a debate in Paris between Paul Howard-Jones and… Read More Is Evidence-Informed Education Left, Right, or Neutral? Spoiler: None of the Above
Students struggle in school.That is not new.What is less clear is why. The answers we tend to give are often simple. Too simple. Lack of motivation. Too little effort. Not enough talent. Sometimes, even the reverse. Schools are outdated. They use the wrong teaching methods. And students are getting bored. Sometimes there is a grain… Read More Why students struggle in school: beyond simple explanations
I remain cautious about AI in education and, for now, also about the research around it. Not because I am against AI, but for a different reason. A recent review by Edison Marino Cerón Salazar and Diana Carolina Burbano González helps to explain why. At first glance, the conclusion looks impressive. As many as 89%… Read More Why 89% positive studies on AI in education actually tell us very little
Curiosity has an almost mythical status in education. We want to spark it, stimulate it, and place it at the centre of learning. That makes sense. If you are curious, you want to know, you seek information, and you learn. A lot of research supports that idea. But, as is often the case, the story… Read More Is curiosity always good for learning?
As always, fun by xkcd that forces you to think or rethink. Check here for more Funny on Sunday.
Last week I was staying in a hotel for work. The kind of hotel where everything feels right. Clean design, nice materials, everything neatly integrated. Until I took a shower. I wanted to turn the tap. Or rather, I tried to turn it on. Because there was no tap anymore. You can still adjust the… Read More Sometimes, Things Are Simply… Done