Ahh, the beginning of a new year. Time to start thinking about making up for recent overindulgences. Holiday festivities, treats, and good cheer stretching back to November have been chipping away at our rational minds bit by bit. Offering decisive indulgence and immediate gratification in … [Read more...] about Keep Impulsivity in Check by Thinking about the Future
Teaching by Asking Questions: How Well Does it Work?
A great way to learn is by asking questions. A question begs to be answered. When you ask a question, your mind starts to explore information in new and purposeful ways. Research on questioning has shown that some forms of questioning work better than others. Questions that invite … [Read more...] about Teaching by Asking Questions: How Well Does it Work?
How to Promote Transfer of Learning
Can an eighth-grade math student apply her knowledge of geometry to estimate the square footage of the family’s new home? If so, then she has experienced transfer of learning. Transfer of learning means to extend knowledge you’ve gained from one situation to new ones. Parents and educators hope … [Read more...] about How to Promote Transfer of Learning
Building Spatial Thinking Improves STEM success
You fall off of a ledge, dropping through a hole in the floor, only to find yourself hurtling out the side of a wall like a cannon ball. If you can imagine that easily, you have great spatial thinking skills. Or you’ve been playing Portal 2. Perhaps your spatial reasoning got a boost from playing … [Read more...] about Building Spatial Thinking Improves STEM success
Cognitive Skills Help Fashion Adaptive Minds
Which is the most useful kind of knowledge - general knowledge about how to think well, or specific knowledge within many subject areas? The idea that we can train the mind to use core cognitive skills that are effective in a wide range of situations is really fantastic. But, maybe it’s too … [Read more...] about Cognitive Skills Help Fashion Adaptive Minds
Five Metacognitive Strategies to Change Your Mind
Everyday learning often starts with a surprise. Something unexpected happens and you use that to change your understanding. You learn the most when you use metacognitive strategies to adapt your mindset. Metacognition is what you know about how you think and learn. It includes knowing what you … [Read more...] about Five Metacognitive Strategies to Change Your Mind