Category: At work

Was Anders Ericsson (partially) right after all? A new chess study reopens the deliberate practice debate

Whenever I come across the words chess and practice hours in a paper, I immediately think of the late Anders Ericsson. Chances are, many readers will think of Malcolm Gladwell instead. That is hardly surprising as Gladwell made the idea famous in his book ‘Outliers’. The problem is that he simplified Ericsson’s work beyond recognition… Read More Was Anders Ericsson (partially) right after all? A new chess study reopens the deliberate practice debate

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What We Get Wrong About IQ And Intelligence

We’ve written about this before in More Urban Myths about Learning and Education and The Psychology of Great Teaching, but I keep being struck by how often the same misconceptions about intelligence resurface. Then again, perhaps that’s not surprising. Intelligence and intelligence research have been provoking strong reactions for well over a century, something I have… Read More What We Get Wrong About IQ And Intelligence

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Why The Imposter Syndrome Might Not Be Entirely Bad

There is something oddly comforting in this short video from Harvard Business Review. Not because it tells people to simply “believe in themselves,” but because it reframes something many high achievers quietly struggle with: imposter syndrome. Arthur Brooks argues that feeling like a fraud is often not a sign that you are incompetent. In many… Read More Why The Imposter Syndrome Might Not Be Entirely Bad

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Why Bayesian Thinking Matters More Than Ever

One of the underlying things I keep returning to on this blog is how difficult humans are with uncertainty. We like certainty. Clear answers. Strong predictions. Education debates are full of them, too. Yet reality rarely cooperates that neatly. This short BBC Ideas video featuring statistician David Spiegelhalter offers a remarkably accessible introduction to Bayesian… Read More Why Bayesian Thinking Matters More Than Ever

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Does working longer keep your brain sharp? The answer is nuanced

We hear it all the time: we have to work longer. This leads to tensions, strikes, and demonstrations. Just this week, among the pilots in the country where I live. But… are there also personal benefits to working longer? It is perhaps a question that some might find offensive, but it is one that Noah Arman… Read More Does working longer keep your brain sharp? The answer is nuanced

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When lenient grading helps and when it harms

“Soft healers make festering wounds.” It is an old saying, but in education we sometimes seem to forget it. It sits uneasily with the idea of high expectations. And no one really says it out loud, certainly not today, but what if we lowered the bar, not out of laziness but out of understanding for… Read More When lenient grading helps and when it harms

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Is curiosity always good for learning?

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?

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Why the Brain Economy Could Become the Next Big Policy Idea

I do not have a crystal ball. However, based on what I learned last week, 2026 could well become the year of the Brain Economy. When major players such as the OECD, UNESCO, the World Economic Forum and McKinsey begin to embrace an idea. The chances are real. So what exactly is the Brain Economy?… Read More Why the Brain Economy Could Become the Next Big Policy Idea

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Why Multitasking During Video Meetings Leads to Fatigue and Worse Performance

Anyone who has ever sat in an online meeting with an email open on the side, a document that needed to be checked “quickly”, and perhaps a chat message popping up, will recognise the feeling. You are busy, but at the end of the meeting, you mainly feel tired. A new study by Frontzkowski and… Read More Why Multitasking During Video Meetings Leads to Fatigue and Worse Performance

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Maybe We Should Talk About Wasted Money?

Over seventy billion dollars. That is what Zuckerberg and Meta poured into the metaverse. Not gradually, but at full speed, Meta chased an idea that sounded convincing. Mainly because no one could explain what it was meant to become. Zuckerberg doubled down so hard he even renamed his company after it. And now Meta is… Read More Maybe We Should Talk About Wasted Money?

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