My dad used to say, “It’s not the dog in the fight, it’s the fight in the dog.” He had several other antiquated gems for expressing that core idea – success is often less about natural talent than it is about persistence in pursuit of one’s goals. Emily Hanford describes a study about the role … [Read more...] about Innate Intelligence vs. True Grit
Evaluating Sources: Know What’s Credible on the Web
Search results can turn up lots of interesting-looking pages, but efficient web learning means spending most of your time looking at the high-quality sites. People who know how to learn from the internet tend to be highly discriminating in their web site selection. They are good at evaluating … [Read more...] about Evaluating Sources: Know What’s Credible on the Web
How to Learn from the Internet
More and more we reach out to the web to get answers to our questions about the world. When we’re seeking to understand why oil spills, financial crises, and other major events take place, it seems natural to go to the internet for the latest analyses and reporting. The desire to get a grip on … [Read more...] about How to Learn from the Internet
A Simple Way to Make Good Decisions
Figuring out how to make good decisions can be hairy. It's not always easy to get past your uncertainty and make a tough choice. So, how do you do it? Some suggest that you “go with your gut,” acting quickly and instinctively. Others suggest analytical approaches that may involve computation … [Read more...] about A Simple Way to Make Good Decisions
A Scientific Reasoning Strategy to Make Everyday Discoveries
We humans like to think we understand the world pretty well. It gives us a fair amount of comfort to think our beliefs about how things work are spot on. When our human-made devices, our friends, or other bits of the natural world don’t behave as we anticipate, it’s all too common to write off … [Read more...] about A Scientific Reasoning Strategy to Make Everyday Discoveries
Study Strategies for Multimedia Learning Environments
Interactive, multimedia learning environments provide far more stimulation than traditional textbooks. Images, video, and links to extra material can enthrall and overwhelm, but do all those extras really lead to enhanced learning? Initial research has indicated somewhat disappointing results … [Read more...] about Study Strategies for Multimedia Learning Environments