We discuss a recent meta-analysis which concludes that learning to play a musical instrument does not lead to cognitive benefit in other areas....but we also suggest that the question "Does music training make you smart?" is not the most import

She Blinded Me with Reading Science

Nov 30th, 2020 19m 3s

Diane Ravitch recently posted a blog titled "Why I object to the term 'Science of Reading,'" in which she claimed that reading isn't open to scientific investigation. We didn't think it would be interesting to address this obviously false claim

Phones in class aren't so bad after all?

Oct 28th, 2020 21m 11s

The Daniels on Research look at an article deploying a new statistical method, which indicates that personal use of phones during class might not lower student grades.Article URL: https://osf.io/8cmab

Testing Effect & Action Research

Oct 1st, 2020 25m 42s

We examine an important qualification on the testing effect & also discuss the role of action research--educators conducting research in their classrooms.

E D Hirsch's Vision of Uniting Americans Via a Common Curriculum

Sep 18th, 2020 27m 17s

David Daniel and Daniel Willingham consider E. D. Hirsch's latest book, How to Educate a Citizen, focusing on the idea that common knowledge of our history and culture might bring our fractured country together.

Growth mindset: Is it really THAT easy?

Sep 7th, 2020 25m 55s

David Daniel and Daniel Willingham look at a 2016 article, which took a very meticulous approach to intervention. The researchers sought a way to create a growth mindset in 9th graders, and The Daniels found this article fascinating both for th

Can Parents Give Their Children Math Anxiety?

Sep 6th, 2020 8m 29s

The Daniels discuss Maloney et al., 2015, which focuses on whether it's possible for kids to "catch" math anxiety from their parents. Maloney, E. A., Ramirez, G., Gunderson, E. A., Levine, S. C., & Beilock, S. L. (2015). Intergenerational effec

Can Neuroscience Improve Education?

Sep 6th, 2020 21m 31s

We look at an article that both argues for teachers learning more neuroscience, and that offers an experiment that provided PD for teachers with some neuroscientific content, and then looked for changes in their classroom teaching. Dubinsky, J

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