Change Magazine - September-October 2010
by Cedar Riener and Daniel Willingham There is no credible evidence that learning styles exist. While we will elaborate on this assertion, it is important to counteract the real harm that may be done by equivocating on the matter. In what follows, we will begin by defining “learning styles”; then we will address the claims made by those who believe that they exist, in the process acknowledging what we consider the valid claims of learning-styles theorists. But in separating the wheat from the pseudoscientific chaff in learning-styles theory, we will make clear that the wheat is contained in other educational approaches as well. What is a Learning Style? The claim at the center of learning-styles theory is this: Different students have different modes of learning, and their learning could be improved by matching one's teaching with that preferred learning mode. Which Claims of Learning-Styles Theorists are Correct? What Do Learning-Styles Theorists Get Wrong? Resources 1. 2. 3.
1st Annual MTSS Conference Evaluation
Thank you for your interest in MTSS. Please take a few moments and provide your feedback regarding the 1st Annual MTSS Conference that was held March 13, 2012. As a result of the conference, do you feel you now have a better understanding of connections between the Massachusetts Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and the following? As a result of the conference do you feel you now have a better understanding of the core components of MTSS, including why both academic and non-academic components are essential? As a result of the conference do you feel you now have a better understanding of how to teach more effectively through considering the variability of learners (UDL)?
Rethinking Whole Class Discussion
Whole class discussions are, after lecture, the second most frequently used teaching strategy, one mandated by the Common Core State Standards because of its many rewards: increased perspective-taking, understanding, empathy, and higher-order thinking, among others. These benefits, however, do not manifest without a skillful and knowledgeable facilitator. Unfortunately, a preponderance of evidence demonstrates that many teachers mistakenly conflate discussion with recitation. "Typical teacher-student discourse resembles a quiz show, with teachers asking a question, the student replying, and the teacher evaluating the student's response. This is called initiation-response-evaluation, 'I-R-E,' or recitation."1 In contrast to recitation, quality discussion, according to the University of Washington's Center for Instructional Development and Research, involves purposeful questions prepared in advance, assessment, and starting points for further conversations. Follow-Up Questions Notes
The Heart-Brain Connection: The Neuroscience of Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning
Richard: Thank you all very, very much. It really is just a delight to be here and an honor to be considered a part of this amazing collaborative which I have been a champion and fan of from afar and it's just great to be here and, in a very short amount of time, share with you what has been some absolutely amazing work that has been going on in neuroscience and its relevance to social and emotional education. And if there's one take home message that I'd like you to walk away with from my presentation today it's that social-emotional learning changes the brain. We know that environmental factors influence and shape the brain. So, for those of you who are not used to looking at brains all the time I want to just show you a little bit about where these things occur in the brain, what these circuits are, and time does not permit me to spend a lot of time on this but I'll just tell you a little bit about this. So let me summarize and conclude. Question: How old is the child?
