Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Our Public Schools And Teachers Are Not Using Proven Teaching Methods

From The New York Times article, "Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits" by Benedict Carey:
Such [study and learning] theories have developed in part because of sketchy education research that doesn’t offer clear guidance. Student traits and teaching styles surely interact; so do personalities and at-home rules. The trouble is, no one can predict how.

Yet there are effective approaches to learning, at least for those who are motivated. In recent years, cognitive scientists have shown that a few simple techniques can reliably improve what matters most: how much a student learns from studying.

The findings can help anyone, from a fourth grader doing long division to a retiree taking on a new language. But they directly contradict much of the common wisdom about good study habits, and they have not caught on.
Unfortunately, public schools and teachers employ and perpetuate the falsehood of the common wisdom for studying and learning instead of using techniques and teaching methods that have been scientifically proven to improve student learning.

No wonder our students are dropping out of school at alarming rates and do poorly on reading and mathematics evaluation tests.

Read the complete NY Times article here.

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