I hope I didn’t upset you with the title of this post, but this new study did examine a hypothesis close to what I wrote. Sometimes when we are reading a good book, we are transported into another world. I do hope you recognize this. I often stop paying attention to what’s around me when… Read More Is scrolling on social media just like reading a good book? Yes, and maybe that is a bad thing.
There is a new Best Evidence in Brief and this time I picked this study from this biweekly newsletter written up by Marta Pellegrini: A recent meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of interventions for elementary students with math difficulties. To be included in the review, studies had to use randomized or quasi-experimental designs and evaluate word-problem solving… Read More What Works for Students with Mathematics Difficulties in K-12? (Best Evidence in Brief)
This study may irritate some people, but the researchers are nuanced, and the results are what they are: this new study found flaws in previous research that purported to show meditation could alter the brain’s structure. From the press release: In the mid-20th century, new evidence showed that the brain could be “plastic,” and that… Read More Failed replication: no evidence of structural brain change with short-term mindfulness training
We checked our final proofs, the book is almost ready to go to print, and the Dutch version has already sold thousands of copies. By the end of July you can read the book too in English! (check a.o. here, here, or even better: your local book store!) This is your essential teaching companion that… Read More Coming soon: The Psychology of Great Teaching (a bit more info)
This new study explains how both nature and nurture contribute to how socioeconomic status shapes the brain’s architecture. This is not that surprising, but I think a lot of people will still be surprised about the – long-known – fact that poverty can also shape the brain. From the press release: Your education, your job,… Read More A study on the signatures of socioeconomic status in the brain
This study can make you start to dream, although the study was performed on mice. But imagine it being possible to make your brain younger and smarter? We’ve seen this repeatedly with sudokus and other non-working brain games. And now, I already hear people building their own machines to “boost the electrical activity” in certain… Read More This is the kind of study that can become material for con men and women
This study is a combination of mathematical modelling and large-scale online experiments and shows that learning from others can mitigate harmful risk aversion, even if the others we learn from tend to avoid risky, but profitable decisions themselves. From the press release: The best things in life are unlikely to occur. In many situations, taking… Read More Interesting study: copying others to dare
As a musician, I was immediately intrigued by this new study by an international team of researchers that suggests that there is a link between understanding the emotions of others better and interpreting emotions conveyed through music. From the press release: The study’s results provide a foundation for future research that could test the impact… Read More New study shows link between empathy and music
There is a new Best Evidence in Brief and this time I picked this study from this biweekly newsletter written up by Sijie Sheng: Researchers evaluated the effectiveness of an immersive virtual reality (IVR) simulation method compared with a video for teaching and learning scientific knowledge by conducting 2 experiments. In Experiment 1, 131 students were… Read More Virtual reality and science learning: Two experiments (Best Evidence in Brief)
In the region where I live, we’ve seen a decline in students learning languages, not unlike in other regions. What to do? This new research shows that children’s willingness to study subjects like French, German or Spanish is shaped far more by their parents’ attitudes than by their teachers or friends. From the press release:… Read More Want more students to learn languages? Try to convince the parents!
From experience to meaning... 