Frequent readers of this blog will know that I am the Director of Educational Technology at a 6-12 independent school. My role is to design and implement the strategy around online learning and train teachers how to integrate various online tools into their lessons. This post is a reflection on whether my beliefs about teaching … Continue reading Beliefs, Evidence, and Educational Technology
PD Opportunity on Cognitive Load Theory
As readers of this blog will know, I've recently been writing a bit about cognitive load theory and how it's led to changes in my thinking and teaching. I debated some of its foundational ideas on a recent podcast, as well. After presenting on CLT in the fall, NWAIS asked me back as part of … Continue reading PD Opportunity on Cognitive Load Theory
Is Working Memory Fixed or Can it be Trained?
Many teachers allow students to play "brain games" as part of the curriculum. When I say "brain games", I'm referring to short - often fun - activities that are unrelated to the core content, but which are thought to engage the mind or make you smarter. When I was a student, if I finished my … Continue reading Is Working Memory Fixed or Can it be Trained?
Videos, Podcasts, Infographics, and Articles for Bringing Research into Practice
Many educators are eager to learn about evidence-based practices but don't know where to start. One barrier is that most research articles are paywalled, which requires teachers to buy an expensive subscription or e-mail the researcher in order to gain access to research. Another is that learning how to read and interpret scholarly articles requires … Continue reading Videos, Podcasts, Infographics, and Articles for Bringing Research into Practice
Does More Learning Happen When Students are in the Driver’s Seat?
Most teachers will be familiar with Khan Academy, or similar learning programs, that offer a mixture of 1) problems to solve and 2) instructional supports that students can use to learn how to solve the problems. Common instructional supports in online learning environments include partial hints (e.g., click here for a hint to get you … Continue reading Does More Learning Happen When Students are in the Driver’s Seat?
My Research
In a couple weeks, I will be conducting my first research study at a school in Seattle. Here's a slightly edited version of the post I wrote for their community newsletter. Â In 1885, Hermann Ebbinghaus discovered that we tend to forget the things we learn at a highly predictable rate. What made the discovery of the … Continue reading My Research
Shifting to Online (again)? Check out this Poster
I am happy my community is back on campus; a beautiful learning space where teachers utilize their physical presence to guide attention and support students towards new understandings. I also realize, having been fooled too may times by COVID, that it’s possible that we’ll be forced to shift once again into a hybrid model (and … Continue reading Shifting to Online (again)? Check out this Poster
Is there a “Science of Learning” and what is in it?
A reoccurring theme (e.g., here, here, and here) of this blog is that we can improve education by leveraging findings from the science of learning. Most people in the field seem to agree with this statement, but it's not uncommon to find people who are convinced that there is no science of learning. The reasons … Continue reading Is there a “Science of Learning” and what is in it?
A Fence at the Top or an Ambulance at the Bottom?
As a school leader, I'm often asked to read things that contain strong claims about the nature of learning. I was recently asked what I thought about a blog post by Robert Kaplinsky. I don't know anything about Mr. Kaplinsky, and I don't aim to disparage him or his work, but I was struck by … Continue reading A Fence at the Top or an Ambulance at the Bottom?
Do We Learn Best Collaboratively or Individually?
I read an interesting article about collaboration and worked examples today. Worked examples, for those not in the know, are teaching objects that explicitly show students the steps for how to solve a particular type of problem, such as the one below for how to add fractions: Example of a worked example, shared with me … Continue reading Do We Learn Best Collaboratively or Individually?
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