Articles tagged with Learning
A new study by Washington University in St. Louis found that students who were told they would later teach a passage performed better on recall and organization tasks than those expecting a test. The study suggests that instilling an expectation to teach may be a simple, inexpensive intervention with the potential to increase learning ...
Research by Nina Kraus and Margaret Martin finds that musical training improves neural function, learning abilities, and communication skills in low-income youth. The study shows that music programs can help close the academic gap between affluent and disadvantaged students.
Habits emerge through associative learning, involving automatic behaviors in stable contexts. Changing habits requires derailing existing habits, repetition, and stable context cues.
A novel course at Washington University in St. Louis evaluates the effectiveness of active-learning techniques in large lecture classes, showing mixed but consistent benefits in conceptual learning and attitudes towards learning and problem-solving. The study eliminates traditional concerns about large classes and inquiry-based courses.
A UC Davis memory researcher has received a $2.6 million fellowship from the U.S. Department of Defense to explore neural oscillations in brain regions involved in forming and retrieving memories. The project aims to develop new methods for assessing memory function, boosting learning, and rehabilitating soldiers with brain injuries.
Researchers found that people value predictability in goal attainment and experience muted emotions when good news follows an unexpected outcome. The study's findings suggest that the fragility of positive emotion may contribute to this phenomenon.
The University of Texas at Arlington has received a three-year, $250,000 National Science Foundation grant to collaborate with AIDICO on disaster mitigation research. The project aims to develop quick solutions to infrastructure and technology problems that arise from natural disasters, improving the resilience of civil infrastructure.
A new report reveals that even top-performing students forget 60% of their A-Level syllabus within three months. Researchers tested nearly 600 students and found that universities expect high knowledge retention but students struggle with memorization.
A study by UC Irvine neurobiologists found that repetition learning enhances factual content but hinders nuanced aspects of memories. This technique reduces the amount of detail stored with those memories.
The University of California, Riverside has received a five-year, $2.4 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to support STEM education and increase retention rates among underrepresented groups. The grant will provide lower division science students with early research immersion and career exploration opportunities.
The grant will support innovative practices in key introductory STEM classes, including collaborative group research and hands-on connections among sciences and math. The program aims to increase student participation and retention in STEM concentrations, particularly for underrepresented minorities.
Experts argue that education policy should focus on promoting students' broader wellbeing and development to benefit their academic learning. Research suggests that schools neglecting students' health may be actively harming it, with negative impacts on mental health and overall student success.
Active learning improves exam performance, increasing grade gains by an average of 6%, and reduces student failure rates in STEM courses. By adopting this approach, tens of thousands of students could stay in STEM majors instead of flunking out, meeting national calls for a million more STEM graduates.
Joe Pratt, a renowned historian and educator, has been recognized with the prestigious Piper Award for his exceptional teaching. With five UH teaching awards and participation on over 30 Ph.D. committees, Pratt's dedication to student success is evident in his commitment to creating engaging learning experiences.
A study found that theta-band activity in the hippocampus is crucial for learning, with training in its absence facilitating learning. Uniform neural states also act as a context for learning.
A study from the University of Liverpool found that showing toddlers similar but distinct actions helped them understand what a verb refers to. This new insight sheds light on how children progress throughout preschool and school years.
The NC Pre-K program has been found to improve language and literacy skills, math skills, general knowledge, and social skills in four-year-old students. Notably, children from lower-income families who attended the program showed higher reading and math scores by the end of third grade.
A Rice University and Duke University study found that modifying homework procedures improved exam scores without changing the course curriculum. The study used cognitive science principles, including repeated retrieval practice, spacing, and immediate feedback, to develop inexpensive yet effective educational changes.
Research from University of Chicago finds that gesturing with hands is more effective in teaching math than concrete action. Children who use gestures to solve problems generalize the knowledge better, showing an underlying principle. Gestures help children learn abstract concepts and symbols.
A Kansas State University researcher has found that nobody likes negative feedback, even those trying to learn. Culbertson suggests focusing on constructive feedback, avoiding numerical ratings, and eliminating the 'sandwich' approach. This can help managers improve employee motivation, commitment, and performance.
The University of Oregon's Science Literacy Program is exploring an interactive workshop centered on 'active learning,' which focuses on how students learn material and apply it in new situations. The goal is to improve STEM education by enhancing teaching methods that foster transfer of knowledge.
The study emphasizes the need for scientists to develop teamwork and communication skills, beyond just scientific knowledge. Graduate programs can play a crucial role in teaching collaboration through seminars, workshops, or courses.
A computer-based individualized study schedule has been shown to significantly improve students' memory of material presented months earlier. Personalized review helped students remember more material on tests given at the end of the semester and a month later, with benefits also seen in long-term educational outcomes.
A CU-built software program uses big data to suggest personalized content review, boosting remembering by 16.5% in a study of middle school Spanish students. The algorithm analyzes past student performance to recommend material that needs review, leveraging strategies used by online retailers.
A recent study by IUPUI faculty and undergrad researchers evaluates peer-led team learning in cyberspace, focusing on its newest iteration – cyber peer-led team learning. The study finds that the cyber version of PLTL offers improved grades and enhanced student collaboration.
A study published in Neuron found that the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) is active when the brain isn't working hard and quiets down during peak performance. The PCC plays a crucial role in monitoring performance and improving it, particularly in challenging cognitive tasks.
Researchers create professional development program to foster classroom dialogue, leading to increased student interest and motivation. The program involves video recordings of seminars and class time analysis, promoting a relaxed control environment and individual attention.
A new study by Smithsonian researchers at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics shows that iPad-based simulations improve student understanding of astronomical scale, compared to traditional classroom instruction. Students grasped the concept more effectively when using iPads to explore 3-D simulations of the universe.
Researchers identify five types of boredom, including apathetic boredom, which resembles learned helplessness or depression, in a study published in Motivation and Emotion. The findings show that people tend to experience one type of boredom at a time, rather than randomly switching between different types.
The study, involving 180,000 students across 34 countries, found that strong parental support and early literacy activities are crucial for academic success in reading, math, and science. Researchers discovered that students from homes with educated parents and access to reading materials tend to perform better in school.
A new study found that responsive interactions are crucial for toddlers' language learning, particularly when compared to video instruction. When conversing with a person or in a live video chat, children learn new words and use them to label actions.
Researchers developed an iPad app to teach spatial visualization, a key skill for doing well in science, math, and engineering. The app uses 3D computer graphics and touchscreen technology to help students visualize objects in 3D and learn how they look from different perspectives.
A new study from UT Arlington found that students attending schools with anti-bullying programs are more likely to be victims of bullying. The researchers suggest that these programs may inadvertently teach bullies the language and tactics they use, rather than preventing them.
The College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside is receiving a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to improve freshman academic success in STEM fields. The project, SL-CARE, aims to increase student participation in learning communities and research engagement courses.
The SAGE/STP Teaching Innovations & Professional Development Award recognizes Dr. Shannon R. Audley-Piotrowski and Carly Smith for their dedication to teaching and scholarship in psychology. The award provides funding for them to attend the American Psychological Association Convention and present on their research.
Research suggests that dance marking, or loosely practicing a routine by going through the motions, can improve dance performance by reducing mental strain. The study found that dancers who practiced with marking were judged more highly on their movements and sequences, indicating improved fluidity and memorization.
A study by Stanford researchers found that genetic testing improved student learning in a personalized medicine class. Students who had their genome tested as part of the course showed a 31% increase in knowledge compared to those who didn't undergo testing.
A Boston College professor has been awarded a $1.2-million grant to foster social entrepreneurship in urban high school students through indoor gardening technology. Students will learn how to conduct scientific investigations and develop small businesses initiatives to sell fresh produce, contributing to a healthier city as a whole.
Researchers have identified a unique pathway in the human brain that enables word learning, which is distinct from other species. The arcuate fasciculus connects auditory regions with motor areas, facilitating the connection between sound and articulation of words.
A pilot study from North Carolina State University found that switching seats can keep middle school students engaged in educational gaming tasks. The researchers discovered that the student actively playing the game stayed focused, while the second student on the team often lost interest.
Researchers found that a type of predatory sea slug, Pleurobranchaea californica, has complex cognitive abilities allowing it to learn the warning cues of dangerous prey. The sea slug selectively avoids certain prey, such as Flabellina iodinea, and can remember this avoidance behavior even after several days.
Researchers found synapses get stronger initially but then quickly weaken through a transitional phase, making them more vulnerable to further stimulation. This discovery suggests ways to control learning by manipulating biochemical pathways that maintain memory.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that adults can be trained to engage in compassion meditation, increasing caring feelings for people suffering. Participants showed increased brain activity in regions involved in empathy and emotion regulation after training.
Researchers found that compassion training increased activity in brain regions involved in empathy and emotion regulation, leading to a desire to help others. The study also showed that people trained in compassion were more likely to be altruistic and spend their own money to support someone in need.
Movshon's work on visual processing and amblyopia has shed light on the neural basis of blindness. He is recognized for his studies on the organization and function of area V1, a key region in the brain's cerebral cortex.
A Harvard University study found that 95% of people believe the Earth's seasons are caused by its distance from the sun. However, scientists know it's due to the axis tilt and resulting sunlight duration. The study showed that better teachers who predicted students' wrong answers helped them learn more.
A Michigan State University researcher found that Twitter can be a better source of information than traditional news sources and online search engines. Tweets tagged with hashtags provide multiple perspectives on topics like the Occupy Wall Street movement. The study suggests using Twitter as a complement to formal teaching and learni...
A study published in the Journal of Health Psychology found that portion sizes significantly affect food intake, even with mindful eating education. Despite teaching participants about external factors influencing eating habits, they consumed more food when given larger portions.
A study published in Child Development found that instructors who use hand gestures while teaching math problems outperform those without gestures. Students who learned from gesture videos performed better on tests compared to those who learned from speech-only videos, with improved retention over time.
Researchers found that elite athletes outperformed nonathletes in cognitive tests such as memory recall, task-switching, and peripheral vision detection. Female athletes also showed significant advantages over their male peers in certain tasks, minimizing the typical performance gap between women and men.
A University of Pittsburgh study demonstrates that content-focused literacy coaching significantly improves student reading comprehension, particularly for low-income English-language learners. The coaching model encourages teachers to facilitate interactive text discussions, leading to better comprehension and retention.
A synthesis of studies on English reading outcomes for Spanish-dominant ELLs in elementary schools found that quality of instruction is more important than language of instruction. Effective reading interventions used extensive professional development and coaching.
A new report finds that popular study strategies like highlighting and rereading don't improve student learning, while effective techniques like practice testing and distributed practice can boost performance. The researchers recommend using these evidence-based strategies to direct teachers, students, and parents.
New UGA research reveals that girls perform better than boys in elementary school despite similar test scores, largely due to their approach towards learning. This early difference in classroom behavior affects teacher assessments, grades, and future academic prospects for both genders.
The MBL physiology course fosters a culture of curiosity and innovation among students, leading to the generation of 23 research papers and 59 meeting abstracts. The course's unique approach combines cell biology and physical sciences, and encourages students to think beyond their comfort zones.
A new study reveals that motivation and study skills, not intelligence, are key to long-term growth in math achievement. Students who were intrinsically motivated, used effective learning strategies, and avoided rote learning showed more growth in math ability.
A University of Rhode Island graduate student is using ocean waves to study the geologic structure beneath the Earth's surface. By analyzing seismic wave velocity near an underwater plateau, scientists can infer its formation process.
A three-year project at Durham University has found that collaborative learning increases both fluency and flexibility in mathematics, while using interactive smart desks can have benefits over traditional paper-based activities. The new 'Star Trek classroom' also encourages active student engagement and equal access.
The University of British Columbia is partnering with seven top North American universities to study improved teaching techniques in science classrooms. The Bay View Alliance aims to identify and evaluate ways for university leaders to inspire cultural change and enhance teaching and learning.
Spatial cognition researchers will form a virtual institute to collaborate and advance the field of spatial intelligence and learning. The Thematic Network in Spatial Cognition aims to establish spatial cognition as a scientific discipline, with relevance to education in STEM fields and professional areas.