Items to Share; 20 October

Education Focus

• Howard Gardner: ‘Multiple intelligences’ are not ‘learning styles 'The theory became highly popular with K-12 educators around the world seeking ways to reach students who did not respond to traditional approaches, but over time, “multiple intelligences” somehow became synonymous with the concept of “learning styles.” In this important post, Gardner explains why the former is not the latter.' This is indeed a short but important post, as Gardner dissociates himself from "learning styles"--but what took him so long?

• What’s the point of educational research? | Webs of Substance 'Given that this blog is ostensibly about educational research, I thought it was time to ask whether such research is actually worthwhile. In particular, can educational research be scientific in nature?'

• Which cognitive biases prevail in teaching? | Pragmatic Education 'Today, I want to suggest some pitfalls that we fall into in thinking about our teaching practice. Decades of research into cognitive psychology has given us a map of our systematic thinking errors. Here are some of the most prevalent biases I see affecting us as teachers:...' See also this follow-up--with one more to come: Which cognitive traps do we fall into?

• What If Everything You Thought About Education Was Wrong? | LKMco, Education and Youth Development Interesting article on dispassionately re-evaluating practice in the light of a training session in New York, followed by a respectful and balanced discussion.

• Gamification  --the use of competition in teaching, and Best Practice from Sam Shepherd  'Any talk of best practice is dangerous talk. For one, despite proposals to carry out clinical-type randomised control trials in education, and huge meta-analyses of research, it’s quite challenging and difficult to prove that any one intervention is inherently and universally better than another.'

• Facets of Mastersness A Framework for Masters level study  'In considering the answers to the question, "What does it mean to be a Master’s- level student and how are they supported in making that transition?”, the Learning from International Practice project has developed a framework to help make sense of some of the different dimensions of ‘Mastersness’. My less formal take on writing at M level is here.

• The Heritability of Intelligence: Not What You Think  'According to the traditional “investment” theory, intelligence can be classified into two main categories: fluid and crystallized. Differences in fluid intelligence are thought to reflect novel, on-the-spot reasoning, whereas differences in crystallized intelligence are thought to reflect previously acquired knowledge and skills. According to this theory, crystallized intelligence develops through the investment of fluid intelligence in a particular body of knowledge.' ...and it may well be wrong. A quite detailed discussion of contrary evidence--presupposes some background knowledge but the gist is clear.

• The Psychology of Getting Unstuck: How to Overcome the “OK Plateau” of Performance and Personal Growth | Brain Pickings '“Any sequence of mental action which has been frequently repeated tends to perpetuate itself,” William James wrote in his influential meditation on habit, ”so that we find ourselves automatically prompted to think, feel, or do what we have been before accustomed to think, feel, or do, under like circumstances.” As we’ve seen, one of the most insidious forms of such habitual autopilot — which evolved to help lighten our cognitive load yet is a double-edged sword that can also hurt us — is our mercilessly selective everyday attention, but the phenomenon is particularly perilous when it comes to learning new skills.'... 

• ...and, related: The practice of practising – Telegraph Blogs 'Concert pianists spend much more of their lifetimes practising than they do playing concerts. It's not just that pieces need to be kept in the memory (muscle and mind), but the very act of playing the piano is physical and athletic. It involves reflex and endurance...

• The Messy and Unpredictable Classroom facultyfocus. 'How do we make learning messy and unpredictable for our students—and why?'

• What science teachers need to know danielwillingham. Hattie argues that feedback from students to teachers about where they (students) get things wrong is very valuable--here's some empirical work on the capacity of teachers to pick up on it.

• Grant Wiggins on E D Hirsch | Webs of Substance A contribution to the content vs. constructivism debate.

Other Business

• Problems with scientific research: How science goes wrong | The Economist 'A simple idea underpins science: “trust, but verify”. Results should always be subject to challenge from experiment. That simple but powerful idea has generated a vast body of knowledge. Since its birth in the 17th century, modern science has changed the world beyond recognition, and overwhelmingly for the better. But success can breed complacency. Modern scientists are doing too much trusting and not enough verifying—to the detriment of the whole of science, and of humanity.'  

• "But I didn't mean it!" Why it's so hard to prioritize impacts over intents.  I'm relieved to find this post, which locates in the literature a distinction I've been groping after for some time (see an earlier attempt here). 

• How We Depend On Our Descendents Andrew Sullivan quotes Samuel Scheffler. More here (podcast).

• Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013  After all that--enjoy!