Effective classroom management practices

Effective classroom management practices As we mentioned in a special message last week, the fall issue of Better: Evidence-based Education magazine covers the important topic of classroom management. This issue presents a wide range of views and evidence about classroom management from international experts, providing both practical insights and evidence to ultimately enhance our children's learning experience, their contribution to their own learning, and their own long-term outcomes. Articles include: Good instruction is good classroom management Am I the only one struggling with classroom management? Dealing with classroom management problems The full issue is available to subscribers. If you have not already subscribed toBetter, you may do so on the Johns Hopkins University Press website. Subscriptions include electronic access to all archived issues. We have covered a range of topics, from reading, math, and science to effective uses of technologyand health and well-being.

Study investigates inquiry-based science curricula This study published in the October issue of Research in Science Educationmeasures the effects of higher level, inquiry-based science curricula on students at primary level in Title I schools. The sample included approximately 3,300 K-3 students from six schools who were assigned to experimental or control conditions (N = 115 total) on a random basis according to class. Students in the experimental condition were exposed to concept-based science curriculum that emphasized "deep learning" though concept mastery and investigation, whereas control classes learned science from traditional school-based curricula. Using standardized measures of achievement, researchers found that all ability groups of students benefited from the science inquiry-based approach to learning that emphasized science concepts, and that there was a positive achievement effect for low socio-economic young children who were exposed to such a curriculum. Related to this topic, the Johns Hopkins School of Education's Center for Research and Reform in Education completed a review of research in May on effective programs for elementary science. Results of the review support the use of inquiry-oriented programs without science kits, which help teachers to learn and use generic processes such as science-reading integration in their daily science teaching. Use of inquiry-oriented science kits such as FOSS, did not show any benefits for science learning. Limited research on technology approaches such as BrainPop showed positive impacts.

Home computer use improves children's academic performance A paper in Oxford Review of Education examines the link between children's home computer use and their academic performance in reading and math. The study uses data from the nine-year-old cohort of the Growing Up in Ireland survey and a multiple regression model to estimate the effect of home computer use on reading and math test scores, and finds that computer use is associated with increased scores. This result holds after controlling for multiple determinants of school performance, and there is no significant difference in effect for the amount of use. In addition, the study investigates the effects of different types of computer use and finds that surfing the internet for fun, doing projects for school, and emailing are associated with higher reading and math test scores. Children who are permitted to use the computer unsupervised tend to have higher test scores in math, and instant messaging and downloading music or watching movies are negatively associated with both reading and math test scores. However, while these results indicate significant association with academic performance, the study is not able to establish the direction of causation definitively.

Neuromyths in education Possessing greater general knowledge about the brain does not appear to protect teachers from believing in "neuromyths" - misconceptions about neuroscience research in education. A study reported in Frontiers in Educational Psychologyfound that teachers who are interested in the application of neuroscience findings in the classroom find it difficult to distinguish pseudoscience from scientific facts. They tested 242 primary and secondary school teachers in the UK and the Netherlands with an interest in the neuroscience of learning, using an online survey containing 32 statements about the brain and its influence on learning, of which 15 were neuromyths. Results showed that on average, teachers believed 49 percent of the neuromyths, particularly myths related to commercialized education programs like Brain Gym. One of the most commonly believed myths was "Individuals learn better when they receive information in their preferred learning style (e.g., auditory, visual, kinesthetic)," which was believed by over 80 percent of teachers in the study. Although loosely based on scientific fact, these neuromyths may have adverse effects on educational practice, and the study concludes that there is a need for enhanced interdisciplinary communication to reduce such misunderstandings in the future and establish a successful collaboration between neuroscience and education.