Enhancing Students’ Learning

In an update to its landmark reports on education research, the National Academies' new How People Learn II digs into what science can tell schools about how to build on students' culture and experience to improve learning. The report digs into the ways research suggests students' experiences affect how they engage with education and vice versa.

While the report covers research on learning from birth through old age, its commission had some key conclusions for schools:

·       To be effective, teachers must understand how students' prior knowledge, experiences, motivations, interests, and language and cognitive skills interact with those of the teacher's own experiences and culture and the characteristics and culture of the classroom.

·       Students should be supported in directing their own learning, via targeted feedback, opportunities to reflect on what they've learned, challenges matched to their abilities, and help in developing meaningful goals.

·       Both curricula and instructional strategies should help students connect their academic learning goals to what they learn and do outside of school.

·       Teaching not just science or history content, but the specific language and practices of different disciplines, is critical to helping students develop deep understanding of those subjects.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). How people learn II: Learners, contexts, and cultures. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press. https://dx.doi.org/10.17226/24783.

Impact of Social Media on Adolescents

A survey conducted by Common Sense provides a snapshot of how U.S. teens experience the role of social media in their social and emotional lives.

Key findings include:

-       Teens are avid, daily users of social media.

-       Teens are much more likely to report that using social media has a positive impact on their social and emotional lives than a negative one.

-       Most teens prefer face-to-face communication, and many of them think using social media can interfere with that.

-       Some teens wish they could disconnect more often—and that the people around them would, too.

Common Sense (2012). Social media, social life: How teens view their digital lives. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/file/socialmediasociallife-final-061812pdf-0/download

Study considers effects of taking photos on memories

According to a study published in the journal Psychological Science, people may be able to remember more visuals if they take photos during the experience. The researchers found that, even without revisiting any photos, participants who could freely take photographs during an experience recognized more of what they saw and less of what they heard, compared with those who could not take any photographs. Furthermore, participants who used a camera during their experience recognized even nonphotographed aspects better than participants without a camera did. Meta-analyses including all reported studies support these findings. The implications of this study could possibly result in changes to educational approaches or classroom interventions by involving the use of more visual learning opportunities to aid students’ memories.

Barasch, A., Diehl, K., Silverman, J., & Zauberman, G. (2017). Photographic memory: The effects of volitional photo taking on memory for visual and auditory aspects of an experience. Psychol Science, 28(8), 1056-1066. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0956797617694868