Practice is more effective when we space it out, rather than doing lots of repetitions all at once. We read research that looked at the effect of varied practice compared to identical practice over time. Their results show subtle variation helps students focus and remember the important elements upon recall. Later, we read an account of the negative impacts of graded math homework disproportionately affecting mothers in Canada. We see how homework takes away from family time and undermines the development of math identities.

Project-Based Learning is a thoroughly researched method of instruction with many benefits. We read a meta-analysis looking specifically at how PBL affects student motivation, and saw data illustrating just how important an excellent project prompt is to project success. Later, we read a study showing neurofeedback devices can increase the accuracy of students’ understanding of their own emotional state. We consider the responsibility of mindfulness programs to help students respond in healthy ways to their increased emotional engagement.

More schools are looking to address the socio-emotional needs of students, and a key area for that work is helping students manage anxiety in the classroom. We look at a study showing how some accommodations may be reinforcing their anxiety, and how teachers can help students develop healthier strategies for managing it. Later, we read a study of principal characteristics that support teacher self-efficacy and a shared sense of collective efficacy. Communication and modeling are essential, while coercion is deeply ineffective.

Field trips to the theater can be memorable opportunities for students to engage in community-based performing arts. Dr. Goldstein joins us to talk about how even a single theater experience can have an impact on socio-emotional outcomes like empathy and perspective-taking for students. Later, we discuss the intersection of cognitive load theory and motivation. Their method of diagramming teacher practice across both led us to lively reflection on our own tendencies in the classroom.

Student underachievement occurs when students’ day-to-day class performance is lower than their test scores predict it should be. We read a review of research that shows the causes of underachievement can vary widely. Still, it gives teachers some useful starting points when trying to help a student reach their full potential. Later, we discuss some recent coverage of AI and student cheating. We reflect on how student use of artificial intelligence - whether or not it is teacher-approved - may sit in relation to our classroom values.

This month is a collaborative episode with the hosts of the School Spirits podcast. We read a study of pigeon working memory that indicates complex visuals activate substantially more of our brains than simple ones, which can help with memory and processing of information. Later, we discuss new data that shows how common caregiving responsibilities are among school students. The findings prompt us to think about how schools can be places that support and embrace students as caregivers.

Researchers measured the impact of student-directed project weeks on their sense of motivation over the course of a school year. We reflect on the importance of consistently prioritizing learner agency throughout the year, rather than sequestering it to a single week of freedom. Later, we read a review of research on learning math in bilingual settings. Their paper emphasizes the influence of the teaching language on learner processing, and the importance of someone’s multilingual schema as they process mathematical concepts.

This month we talk with Dr. Elisabeth Tipton about the research support for growth mindset interventions, and the flaws in last month’s meta-analysis. Together we consider how growth mindset should be part of a more comprehensive approach to helping students improve. Later, we read how listening to music reduces our ability to use our working memory for academic tasks. Their laboratory study shows music has a cost, but we wonder whether the cost of background classroom distractions might be higher.

A meta-analysis of co-teaching showed that it benefits students to have more than one adult in the classroom, regardless of the specifics. We reflect on what it could mean to successfully build a co-teaching classroom based on trust among the teachers and students. Later, we read another meta-analysis that is sharply critical of the current research on growth mindset. We consider what their critiques mean for our past support of growth mindset research and what elements of growth mindset we want to keep (for now).

This month we reflect on our year of reading scholarship and growing as humans. First we’ll return to the segments we felt had the greatest impact on our practice and our thinking from the research we read. Later, we’ll reflect specifically on our praxis. We share some of the changes we’re making in our classroom and in our study that is moving us toward our goals as education practitioners. Finally, we’ll share a bit about how our lives are changing outside of school… and mark the 2023 recipients of the Mug of Honor.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a framework being adopted by many schools, and some claim it can integrate trauma-informed pedagogies. However, we read scholarship that shows how PBIS is fundamentally incompatible with trauma-informed education. Later, we discuss a large-scale reciprocal reading study with significant impacts for some students is still not effective for every student. How should this shape our approach to implementing research-informed reading instruction?