Great paper from @PepsMccrea@Josh_CPD & @Barker_J.
Key phrase: Embrace Cognitive Similarity
“While every student brings unique experiences, strengths, and needs to the classroom, understanding the fundamental similarities in how we all learn provides a powerful foundation for inclusive teaching. This principle recognizes that the core mental processes involved in learning—how we pay attention, process information, and build understanding—are remarkably consistent across individuals. In short, how we learn is more similar than it is different (Willingham, 2012). Focusing on these shared mechanisms doesn't ignore individual differences; rather, it allows us to design core instruction that is effective for the widest possible range of students from the start.”
https://t.co/SYl40cdY6N
There should be a $100k fine for any school that that has reading or math scores below 120 percent of state average and offers PD on “integrating AI (or any other tech) in the classroom.”
When you don’t understand how learning works, what feels intuitively right is often exactly and spectacularly wrong.
It’s tedious when an “influencer” makes that mistake. It’s quietly worse when educators do it. But they do it.
If you want to not be destructively wrong you can start with @hruizmartin’s spectacular How Do We Learn? Or @DTWillingham’s iconic Why Don’t Students Like School? Or follow @dylanwiliam who is always generous with explanations.
In 2024, Louisiana teachers identified solutions to improve learning, focused on managing student behavior:
🔹Remove excessively disruptive students from class
🔹Send ungovernable students to alternative schools
🔹Stop forcing teachers to be therapists
H/t @ALegalProcess
A student asked, “When am I ever going to use this?”
I gave my real answer, rooted in cognitive science and cultural literacy, not the fake “real-world examples” they see through.
They won’t use it directly. That’s not the point. Here’s why you need to tell them the truth.👇🔗
Carl Hendrick critiques Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences theory, arguing it lacks scientific evidence despite widespread adoption in education. He highlights Gardner's admission that the theory may be scientifically false but should remain influential anyway. Hendrick calls this a "comfortable fiction" that feels morally appealing but may harm students by diverting resources from proven methods. https://t.co/qEXFzLUFTm
It is interesting to talk to educators who have transferred from schools with a lot of structure and accountability to ones without any systems. It feels like the rug is pulled out from under you. How many more schools out there are like this? Can we even call them schools?
Not all "research" is evidence that you as a teacher should use a strategy in your classroom. You don't have the right to experiment w children or use instructional tactics you like. You have a moral & professional obligation to ensure children attain the academic skills they need to thrive in their lives. The math education community must begin to take this obligation seriously. Currently most children in the U.S. are not proficient in mathematics. This was not caused by COVID. Math proficiency has been mostly unimproved since 2002. I lose sleep over this. Our children deserve better. And here's the thing-- it's not hard to fix. We know exactly how to fix this problem. Our systems lack the will to truly support teachers to deliver effective instruction in math.
The late-stage PhD candidate urge to write lecture notes on a classical topic... 30 books on stochastic calculus have come out in the past decade but none of them are good..... I can do it right....
A brilliant phrase: “Optimised to solve the problem of boredom, not learning languages.”
It explains why so many online ‘learning’ tools are light on the learning. It’s a user illusion. They’re optimized to entertain- often w young people parked (by schools!) in front of them.
The best teachers I've seen don't use a wide range of activities.
They do a few things, and they do them well. They hone them, practise them, and know exactly when each one should be used and why. The students become habituated to them, and learning goes through the roof.
I talk a lot about the issues with reading curriculum, but math curricula deserve just as much attention.
The refrain from teachers: “Elementary curricula aren’t giving kids enough practice.”
Practice is key to fluency with math facts and strong math foundations.
I wish we had the capacity at @CurriculumIP to really take this on.
People in England never go get a tea or a coffee without asking you if you would like one too. And i just want to say that those small gracious gestures are so lovely & meaningful.
For those who question the effectiveness of scaffolding via "I do, we do, you do", please read below.
The purpose of this graphic is to illustrate what scaffolding is and how students’ learning can be supported at different tiers. The “I do, we do, you do” model of scaffolding is not a matter of opinion—it is grounded in research, provided that the program being used is evidence-based and the teacher understands and applies the science of learning and teaching.
There are many reasons why a child may struggle to learn. Sometimes those reasons relate to instructional practices, which may require the teacher to adjust or refine their approach.
In other cases, the issue may be that the program itself is not evidence-based—in which case the limitation lies with the program rather than the teacher.
When evaluating a student's lack of progress, a teacher/interventionist might begin by asking:
-Is the program I am using supported by strong evidence of effectiveness for most students?
If the answer is yes, the next question becomes:
-Am I implementing the program with fidelity (in the way it was intended, for the duration it was intended, and with the tools it was intended)?
-Am I applying the principles of effective instruction and learning?
If the answers to those questions are yes, then scaffolding students’ learning is a research-supported, effective practice.
Assuming that a lack of student progress is always due to “the program” overlooks the many other important factors that influence learning or the lack of it..