Academy Thoughts

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<p>Image Credit: Codepen<p>Research has found that having clarity about …

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 …

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

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 …

How to Ignite Educators' Willingness to Change

« Are Administrators Qualified to Coach Teachers? | Main | Don't Give Up on Coaching a Teacher »<p>Do you coach people who sleepwalk through days of …

Lifelong Learning Is Good for Your Health, Your Wallet, and Your Social Life

In 2015 Doreetha Daniels received her associate degree in social sciences from College of the Canyons, in Santa Clarita, California. But Daniels wasn’t a typical student: She was 99 years old. In the COC press release about her graduation, Daniels indicated that she wanted to get her degree simply …

Emotional Intelligence Has 12 Elements. Which Do You Need to Work On?

Esther is a well-liked manager of a small team. Kind and respectful, she is sensitive to the needs of others. She is a problem solver; she tends to see setbacks as opportunities. She’s always engaged and is a source of calm to her colleagues. Her manager feels lucky to have such an easy direct …

When You Find Your Learning Progress Slows Down, Do This One Thing To Get Back On Track

When you’re learning something, after you’ve mastered the basics, you can start to feel demoralised with it, even bored. You feel you know everything …

Hack Your Brain

<b>Hack Your Brain and Improve Brain Function</b><p>When it comes to your brain, you actually <i>can</i> teach an old dog new tricks. Once thought to be hard-wired …

How Your Brain Makes You Hold Contradictory Beliefs

Our brains’ penchant for efficiency means they aren’t great at syncing our behaviors with our core principles in every context.<p>Admit it: You hold a few contradictory beliefs—maybe more than a few. We all do. Many of them we aren’t even aware of, and the reason we aren’t aware of them has to do with …

How Being Bored Makes You More Creative

I’m dying of boredom,” complains the young wife, Yelena, in Chekhov’s 1897 play Uncle Vanya. “I don’t know what to do.” Of course, if Yelena were …

On The Fast Track: 25 Ways to Learn a New Skill Quickly

Whether you plan to become fluent in a new language or finally tackle that home improvement project, picking up a new skill can seem …

How to Adopt a Culture of Continuous Learning

Discovery work has to be seen as equal to the rest of the work.<p>And so one of the simplest ways to ensure that learning and discovery is sustained in …

Get Smarter in 2017. Here Are 5 Places to Educate Yourself Online (for Free)

Knowledge is power.<p>What do you want to learn more about this year? Nanotechnology? Virtual reality? Bitcoin? How to protect democracy?<p>According to neuroscience professor Ken Kosik, adult education, or specifically engaging in challenging new learning experiences, encourages brain plasticity. And …

Great Online Learning Platforms To Level up Your Digital Skills

In today’s world, having up-to-date skills is crucial, whether you’re searching for a job or trying to advance in your current role.<p>And let’s face …

5 Top Designers On How To Create The Ultimate PowerPoint Presentation

Slide presentations usually suck–but a good designer can turn that around. Here are four tips for selling your ideas.<p>PowerPoints are awful. Long and uninteresting, they are the corporate drone of visual media–synonymous with endless meetings, academic conferences, and corporate retreats.<p>For graphic …

How the Pioneers of the MOOC Got It Wrong

By replicating the lecture format, massive open online courses ignore the truly innovative developments in online learning Illustration: Gary …