Category Archives: Educational Research

Thoughts about the goals, methods, and results of educational research.

reaction to Barak Rosenshine’s “Principles of Instruction”

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Ian

The Spring 2012 issue of American Educator (available here until the next issue displaces it) led off with two articles that have caused some consternation among my local twitterverse. At first glance, the articles seem to make a frontal assault … Continue reading →

Posted in Educational Research, Learning & Teaching, Pedagogy | 2 Comments

teachers matter

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Ian

We already know this — that’s why we do what we do — but not everyone seems to get it: Teachers Matter (NYT) It’s not “the system” or “the curriculum” or “the standardized tests” that we should be paying attention … Continue reading →

Posted in Educational Research, Learning & Teaching | Leave a comment

Is game-style learning fundamentally incompatible with school as we know it?

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Ian

My current scholarly “thing” is thinking about what we can learn about teaching, especially teaching physics, from the phenomenal power of video games to motivate, captivate, and teach. The impetus to ponder this comes from wishing that students would bring … Continue reading →

Posted in Educational Research, Learning & Teaching | 2 Comments

playing a game

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Ian

“Playing a game is the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.” — Bernard Suits, quoted in Jane McGonigal’s Reality is Broken Is learning physics a game? Is doing physics a game? Does it depend on how obligated we feel to … Continue reading →

Posted in Learning & Teaching, Physics Education Research | Leave a comment

getting out of their way

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Ian

A radical thought: We (educational researchers and instructors) spend great time and energy trying to optimally engineer our students’ learning environments and experiences — pacing, sequencing, balance of examples vs. tasks vs. information, cognitive load, collaborative designs, testing intervals, reward … Continue reading →

Posted in Educational Research, Learning & Teaching, Physics Education Research | 4 Comments