We have known that merit pay is often an expensive approach with little to no effect. But maybe we should change this view, as this new study shows that it can have a detrimental effect on segregation: Teacher incentive pay programs that focused on raising student achievement in high-need high schools expanded the test score… Read More This study finds that merit pay in education can make segregation worse
Learning styles, don’t get me started… It’s an education myth I’m a bit tired of, and that’s a euphemism. Often when giving talks about urban myths about learning and education I tend to think that everybody already knows that e.g. learning styles have been debunked. Most of the time I have to discover that this… Read More New review shows that learning styles aren’t dead yet… (but says also something important about the research)
I debunked this myth – made popular by Ken Robinson – a long time on this blog, and also more extensively in our first Urban Myths book. This new video uses new research to further debunk this idea. Link to the mentioned study under this video. The summary of the study by Tamara Paulin et… Read More Do schools kill creativity? New research debunks this myth again!
It’s something I’ve head over and over again but that is corrected in this preprint by Cesario, Johnsson & Eisthen from which this is the abstract: A widespread misconception in much of psychology holds that (1) as vertebrate animals evolved, “newer” brain structures were added over existing “older” brain structures and (2) these newer, more… Read More A popular but incorrect idea: our brain is not an onion with a tiny reptile inside
It’s something Paul Kirschner and I have written about before, and a new review study confirms: using electronic media while doing schoolwork negatively impacts learning. But even worse: any students believe they’re immune to any ill effects because they’re good multitaskers, which they’re not. From the press release: Scanning social media while listening to a… Read More New review on multitasking while learning: a big problem, but also an opportunity?
As an educational mythbuster I welcome this update to the The Debunking Handbook 2020 as it… summarises the current state of the science of misinformation and its debunking. It was written by a team of 22 prominent scholars of misinformation and its debunking, and it represents the current consensus on the science of debunking for engaged… Read More There is an update to the debunking handbook
There is a new Best Evidence in Brief and I picked this study as it’s a nice addition to our book: Students with growth mindsets believe their abilities are malleable through hard work, which in turn, will positively influence their school performance. A recent study by Ganimianevaluated the effects of a “growth-mindset” intervention at scale… Read More Another growth mindset study with not so good news: does growth-mindset intervention at scale work?
This morning my dear friend Paul Kirschner tweeted this conversation: Bizar! In a nutshell: 1. Want to take part in my research on kids?2. I have not asked for nor gotten ethical approval for it.3. I don't need to because I'm retired.4. I don't need to because I decide on my own ethics, unlike bigots.And… Read More On doing science…
Paul Kirschner just reminded me that a year ago we were able to announce our second book about Urban Myths about Learning and Education. Over 4000 copies have been sold already worldwide and counting! Check your local book store or buy the book online! If you want to read a free chapter, check this article… Read More One year today: More Urban Myths about Learning and Education announced
