I often write about research studies from various field and how they can be applied to the classroom. I write individual posts about ones that I think are especially significant, and will continue to do so. However, so many studies are published that it’s hard to keep up. So I’ve started writing a “round-up” of some of them each week or every other week as a regular feature:
The Key To Disaster Survival? Friends And Neighbors is an NPR report on a new study documenting the importance of relationships. Though it doesn’t talk specifically about relationships and educations, the connections are pretty obvious. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On The Importance Of Building Positive Relationships With Students.
Last month, I wrote a post titled “If Students Believe That A Teacher Has Taught Them Everything, They Will Be Less Motivated To Explore.” It was about a study suggesting that direct instruction was less effective than some kind of guided discovery. Since that time, I’ve learned that both Slate (Why Preschool Shouldn’t Be Like School) and The Economist (When should you teach children, and when should you let them explore? ) also wrote about that study and a second similar one. Thanks to Jeanne Garbarino for the tip.
Harnessing The Power Of Feedback Loops is from Wired. IT discusses a number of studies on the topic. I’d be very interested in hearing from readers what this might look like in the classroom.
Does gardening reduce stress? discusses a report that answers that question with a “yes.” In the past, I’ve found that to be the case when my classes have had a school garden. You might also be interested in The Best Resources For Learning About Teens & Stress.
The Then and Now of Memory is a New York Times report on some recent research that may have relevance to the idea of activating prior knowledge with our students.