In my last post, I translated (using Google Translate) the first page of a Japanese high school physics textbook (here).…
Textbooks from High Performing Jurisdictions: Japan
Japanese students do well on the Pisa tests, and they use textbooks. So I bought a Japanese high school…
Using Physics Questions to Build Problem Solving, Literacy and Knowledge.
A few weeks ago I observed an English teacher pull a sentence apart. A line from Romeo and Juliette was…
If you want it here, don’t put it there.
Wall displays, formula sheets and placemats… If you want students to commit knowledge to long-term memory, you shouldn’t put it…
When knowledge is wrong…
Babies are born knowing physics. They express surprise when an object appears to be suspended in mid-air or pass through…
What are the Cognitive Loads of reading and how can we reduce them?
Reading is a physics problem that doesn’t receive much attention in class. I think it should. Science professionals read a…
Ratio, Load and Difficulty – 3 Lesson Sliders
In my mental lesson control booth, I have three sliders I try to get right. Ratio The first slider is…
Shakespeare and Physics: Cogntive Psychology and Writing
Yesterday I watched English specialists teaching Shakespeare. It was brilliant. The students were able to complete chalenging writing tasks, because their…
My experience with ‘goal-free’ – a Cognitive Load Theory strategy
@Olivercaviglioli ‘s wonderful document on Cognitive Load Theory here introduced me to the “Goal-Free Effect” – a Cognitive Load Theory (CLT)…
The single most important thing for teachers to know… Version 2
Dear Reader, Yesterday I published a post on Cognitive Load Theory (here) and how I use it in class. I…
Reading for Learning 