We rarely think about the brain without tools. Not because we would not want to, but because the brain does not lend itself easily to observation without metaphors. And those metaphors are often drawn from the dominant technologies of the time. That pattern is very old. Consider the idea of the child as a tabula… Read More Every Generation Gets the Brain That Fits Its Technology
We like to believe that music changes the world. That singing together heals communities. That an orchestra in an underprivileged neighbourhood does more than just teach people to play notes. I often hold on to that hope. It feels intuitively right, morally attractive, and maybe even politically useful. But what do we really mean when… Read More If Music Changes the World, How Do We Measure That?
I confess: when I first read the title of this article (“A national megastudy shows that email nudges to elementary school teachers boost student math achievement”) and the accompanying press release, alarm bells immediately started ringing. Big words, big numbers, big promises. And one well-known name in the author list, Angela Duckworth, has previously been… Read More Can emails improve mathematics education? Big words, small effects
Research on (neuro)myths in education usually brings gloomy news. Teachers widely believe in learning styles, left- and right-brain dominance, brain gym, and other persistent misconceptions. And each new study seems to reinforce the same conclusion: we may know better, but we do not do better. Recently, however, a study appeared that cautiously goes against the… Read More Some Good News About Neuromyths in Education
We have long known that classroom management matters. It matters for learning, for behaviour, and for the well-being of both pupils and teachers. Yet what teachers actually do to keep lessons running smoothly often remains vague. It is usually described in broad terms such as “being strict”, “being warm”, or “supporting autonomy”. There is not… Read More Almost a Quarter of What Teachers Say in the Classroom Is About Classroom Management
This paper had been on my to-do list for a while. Not only because it is intellectually interesting – though it has less direct to do with education than much of what I usually write – but also because it explains something I have carried with me all my life. I am an active musician… Read More Word of the Day: Musical Anhedonia (When Music Does Nothing for You)
It seems self-evident that what teachers say in classrooms matters. Yet researchers long approached this idea only indirectly. Studies of early language development focused mainly on home environments, parental input, and socioeconomic differences. The well-known 30-million-word gap debate illustrates this focus well. Over time, that debate became increasingly nuanced, with both successful and less successful… Read More Teacher Talk and Language Development: What a Large Meta-Analysis Shows About Quality versus Quantity
Policymakers and teachers regularly ask whether targeted interventions for learners with special educational needs (SEND) and disabilities actually work, yet research has rarely addressed this question with real calm and distance. If they do work, for whom, when, and under what conditions? That question sits at the heart of a large systematic review and meta-analysis,… Read More Do Targeted Interventions for Learners with SEND Actually Work? What a Large Meta-Analysis Shows
In a previous post, I discussed the recent Brookings report A New Direction for Students in an AI World. Its central conclusion was uncomfortable but clear: at present, the risks of AI for students outweigh its promises. Not because AI is inherently harmful, but because many current applications undermine essential learning processes for development. Protection,… Read More After the warnings: when AI in education can work (possibly)
There have been many studies on the effects of art and museums. One question that often arises is about the effect of viewing art on mental well-being. It is tempting to hope that art “works”. That visiting a museum reduces stress, that a painting on the wall makes people calmer, and that aesthetic experience offers… Read More What is the effect of viewing art and visiting museums on mental well-being?