Academy Thoughts

Belief in Neuromyths is Extremely Common

A new Frontiers in Psychology study reveals many teachers believe in common misconceptions about learning and the brain. Researchers say they are …

Feel Like You've Stopped Learning at Work? Elon Musk Just Nailed the Reason Why

While speaking at a big space-science conference, the tech titan laid out what inhibits learning.<p>If you were anything like me, math class was painful, on a good day. Oh, if only fidget spinners had been invented back then. I can vividly recall discussions with my mom revolving around the question, …

4 Ways Augmented Reality Could Change Corporate Training Forever

By 2020, 25% of the American workforce will be over the age of 55 and approaching retirement, a phenomenon becoming known as the Silver Tsunami. …

Here's Einstein's Advice to His Son on How to Accelerate Learning

The genius offered simple, enjoyable advice to his young son on how to learn more quickly.<p>Geniuses might be distinguished by their ability to grasp incredible complexity, but that doesn't mean if you somehow managed to corner one the greatest minds in history for a chat you'd be perplexed by what …

It's important to remember that forgetting is important

If files on your computer suddenly vanished after a while, you'd be in line for a new one pretty quickly – and yet, that's basically what our brains …

Why competency-based learning matters, now more than ever.

<b>What kind of learning should happen here?</b><p>It’s a deceptively simple question, one that gets to the heart of why schools and other educational …

25 Expert Tips to Reading WAY More Books This Year

Instead of trying to power through a book that you're not enjoying, put it down<p>I've always enjoyed reading. But, to be perfectly honest, I didn't used to read as much as I should have. Besides being a great way to escape and unwind, reading increases your knowledge, focus, and worldview as a …

Learn something new every day

<i>JOIN IMMEDIATELY</i><p>The most important skill to succeed in the workforce of the future is to be a lifelong learner. Learning something new every day …

Forgot Where You Parked? Good

School’s out for the summer — and so begins a long few months of parents’ and teachers’ worrying about all the things their children will forget before the fall. The fractions they won’t be able to multiply. The state capitals they won’t be able to identify. “Learning loss” is the name for …

Understanding these three principles will help you develop true intrinsic motivation

What motivates us? Fear and punishment? Or money, fame, and power?<p>One train of thought, called self-determination theory, starts from the idea that all humans have the natural—or intrinsic—tendency to behave in effective and healthful ways.<p>Central to self-determination theory, or SDT, is the …

Online learning not working

Can online learning disrupt the status of higher education?<p>When I moved to Silicon Valley to study at Stanford University four years ago, I thought …

15+ Online Art Classes to Take Your Creativity to New Heights This Week

Learning a new skill is easier than you think. While sitting in a classroom might seem like the only option, online classes are now more popular than ever. Art, photography, and design courses are all at your fingertips with sites like Craftsy and CreativeLive. Plus, they're taught by people at the …

Seven Mental Exercises That Can Make You A Better Thinker

<i>How can one become a better thinker? originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.</i><p><b>Answer by Cristina Hartmann:</b><p>Unfortunately, deep thinking isn't very common in our society. People look at television …

Five Popular Myths About Learning That Are Completely Wrong

What you think you know about how you retain new information and skills is likely completely wrong. Here’s what actually works.<p>You’ve made it this far in life, so you probably think you know how you learn new information. But it turns out that false beliefs about teaching and learning are a problem …

How To Learn In 2 Days What Normally Takes 6 Months

This curated column is authored by leadership & startup consultant Benjamin Hardy ResearchThe post How To Learn In 2 Days What Normally Takes 6 …

Want to Learn Faster? Study Less and Slack More, Says This Master Teacher

Learning isn't the same thing as studying, insists the author of a book on how to learn effectively.<p>"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education," Mark Twain supposedly quipped.<p>It's a catchy witticism, but while many of us remember the quote, far too many people still fail to make the …

Practical Ed Tech Tip of the Week – Three Free Speech-to-Text Tools

Last week during Practical Ed Tech Live I answered a request for free speech-to-text tools. If you missed the broadcast, I suggested Dictation.io and …

How to Use Distraction to Your Advantage

Have you ever noticed that you find it difficult to ignore the chatter of a radio station playing in the background, or that your best ideas come not …

Your Brain Doesn't Want to Change: 5 Ways to Make It

Change is always awkward at first, but it gets easier with practice.<p>Take a moment and cross your arms. Now, cross them in the opposite direction. Which way was more awkward?<p>If you thought crossing them the second time required more thought, you’re right. In fact, when you crossed them the first …

I made my classroom look like the real world…and test scores soared

<i></i><i>Anthony Johnson is an elementary school teacher in North Carolina and a TED-Ed Innovative Educator. Below, he describes his innovative classroom</i> …

The case for L&D to focus on #performance and to measure what matters. #learning https://t.co/2q4k49yE6R

What do employees love about work? Professional development tops the list

After all the cards, flowers and chocolates have been consumed and news of engagements spread throughout the office on Valentine's Day, most …

Your brain always has a backup plan

You may not always be consciously considering a Plan B when you're making a decision, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Queen's University researchers have discovered that the human brain's motor neurons will prepare for multiple actions before making a decision. The team learned this by …

A Better Metric for the Value of a Worker Training Program

The United States has thousands of workforce development and training programs, run by the public, social, and private sectors. Some are excellent; others, not so much. The problem is that we don’t know which are which.<p>That lack of knowledge is costly. According to the Georgetown University Center …

Are Teachers Becoming Obsolete?

A veteran educator reflects on the personalized-learning trend that’s left him wondering if a computer is more capable of doing his job than he is.<p>Leaving my school building the other day, I had an unexpected realization: Perhaps a computer was a more effective teacher than I currently was. The …

Disruption Debate with Cammy Bean: Shifting the Titanic

<i>Welcome to the fourth instalment of our new Disruption Debate series, where we speak to leading industry experts to discover more about disruption in</i> …

Salman Khan: These 3 Ideas Will Completely Change How Education Works

Underemployment may be a thing of the past.<p><i>How will education change in the next 10 years? originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.</i><p><b>Answer by Salman Khan, Founder, Khan Academy, on Quora:</b><p><b>Mastery</b> …

5 Cognitive Biases You Need to Put to Work ... Without Being Evil - Copyblogger

All writing is persuasion in one form or another.<p>This is more obvious in some types of writing than others, but it is nonetheless true for all.<p>When …

10 journals every e-learning professional should read

I was delighted when Matt Guyan blogged 5 Books Every eLearning Professional Should Read in response to my 5 papers every learning professional …