The Weekly Dispatch #5
Weekly round-up of Science of Learning research, news and media
News
Have humans passed peak brain power? FT article examines why human cognitive performance peaked around 2012 and has been declining since then.
Feature in the 74 in which Douglas Harris discusses the launch of the Association for Education Finance and Policy's "Live Handbook" - a comprehensive, Wikipedia-inspired compendium of education research. This digital resource offers 50 chapters summarizing research on topics from preschool to higher education.
Really interesting feature from
about the rise of scripted curricula in US schools.Dr. Mark Carter argues that cognitive biases have allowed flawed teaching approaches to persist in Australian education despite contradicting evidence. Carter explains that controversial practices like whole language literacy instruction (rebranded as "balanced literacy") and discovery learning have endured for decades despite research showing their ineffectiveness.
Johns Hopkins researchers have captured groundbreaking images revealing how glutamate triggers brain cell signaling pathways essential for learning, a discovery that could transform our understanding of cognitive processes and lead to new treatments for learning disorders.
Are We Teaching Reading Comprehension? Part II – 6 Things Every Teacher Should Know Tim Shanahan is an essential voice in reading instruction, and this article outlines six critical aspects of reading comprehension teaching.
This is an extraordinary post from a College professor about their students' lack of ability to focus and read books. Incredibly depressing:
Research Roundup
"Digital diet" experiment shows dramatic mental health and cognitive benefits after just two weeks. Randomized trial demonstrates breaking smartphone addiction improves cognitive function and happiness. The intervention improved mental health, subjective well-being, and objectively measured sustained attention. Good analysis here.
Are metacognition interventions in young children effective? Study of 67 metacognition interventions shows strong effects on both learning skills and academic outcomes in young children. A notable finding was that interventions delivered by teachers or task materials were more effective than those delivered by researchers, contradicting previous meta-analyses.
Is written feedback a waste of time? New study finds 1 in 5 students completely ignore feedback, while nearly half of those who did try to act on the feedback, don't improve at all. Wrote a post about it here.
Cognitive offloading (using scrap paper) doesn't just help students remember more, it helps them think more clearly, especially when tasks involve several steps. New study finds giving students the chance to offload information improves their maths problem-solving especially when they have prior knowledge.
Chinese study identifies four distinct patterns in how parents engage with math at home during preschool years. Parents' beliefs about math importance directly predict how they engage children in numeracy activities.
New study reveals math-anxious students fall into a trap: making an error leads to skipping problems rather than seeking help. The researchers also examined whether autonomy support (giving students a choice to engage with math tasks) affected these behaviours. (It didn’t)
New twin study finds ADHD, dyslexia and dyscalculia share genetic roots but rarely travel together—77% of affected children have just one condition. This large-scale study (~20,000 children) from the Netherlands Twin Register investigated the relationships between ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia in children aged 7 and 10. Reading skills directly improve spelling, but shared genes—not causality—explain other links between ADHD, reading and math development.
The Education Endowment Foundation have just published five recommendations for using teaching assistants more effectively.
Meta-analysis reveals the cognitive mechanism behind goal setting: process goals enhance self-efficacy, which drives performance improvements. Goals focused on self-improvement produce better psychological outcomes than goals about beating others.
What to listen to this week
Renowned reading researcher Dr. Jamie Metsala joins Anna Stokke to discuss her pivotal role in Ontario's Right to Read inquiry, sharing insights on evidence-based literacy instruction, the shortcomings of balanced literacy approaches, and how structured literacy and universal screening can transform reading outcomes for all students.
Zach Groshell talks to Lynn Gaffney, an educational leader dedicated to translating learning science into effective classroom practice, discussing how evidence-informed strategies can transform student outcomes, the essential role of supportive leadership, and her work with researchED NYC
This week I got to speak to the brilliant Brendan Lee on his podcast about five essential things every teacher should do.
Upcoming Appearances
Keynote at the Learning and the Brain conference in New York The Science of Learning Sheraton NY Times Square Hotel April 25-27, 2025 ‘How Learning Happens: What Educators Need to Know.’
Keynote at the ‘A Learner's Toolkit’ A Matter of Translation conference in collaboration with researchED Brisbane, Friday, 5 September 2025 (Queensland Schools Student-Free Day)
Lastly please check out our online science of learning course. There’s no silver bullet in teaching. But there are powerful, proven strategies every teacher should know.
Start here ➡️ https://htalh.com/