Tag Archives: Psychology

Attachment Theory: Why teachers shouldn’t get too excited about it.

Posted on 09/03/2016 by evidenceintopractice

John Bowlby: Attachment theory The British psychologist John Bowlby is fairly synonymous with attachment theory. From his clinical work with ‘juvenile delinquents’ over the course of World War II be began formulating ideas about the role of early and prolonged … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology for teachers | Tagged , | 25 Comments

The psychology of behaviour management (part 1)

Posted on 10/01/2016 by evidenceintopractice

The topic of behaviour management and the problems teachers face in dealing with disruption to lessons continues to evoke strong argument within the profession. The extent of the problem was explored in a 2014 paper by Terry Haydn which argued … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology for teachers | Tagged , , , , , , | 18 Comments

The ‘artificiality’ of teaching

Posted on 03/01/2016 by evidenceintopractice

In my last post, I argued that the universality and the spontaneous development of teaching leads to the conclusion that teaching is a natural ability. The post generated some really interesting responses, but one from @informed_edu made a direct attempt … Continue reading →

Posted in Education policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The science of learning

Posted on 02/10/2015 by evidenceintopractice

Here’s a really clear, short and applicable summary of the key areas of cognitive science which can be applied to the classroom: The Science of Learning The summary looks at six questions about learning, giving a quick summary of the science … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology for teachers | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Has the marshmallow melted? Interventions involving executive functioning may have little effect.

Posted on 11/03/2015 by evidenceintopractice

What are executive functions? Executive functioning is, in some ways, a pesky cognitive ability to define as it’s implicated in so many different functions. It’s a hypothesised capacity for things like problem solving, reasoning, planning and organisation, inhibiting action or … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology for teachers | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Growth mindset: What interventions might work and what probably won’t?

Posted on 19/02/2015 by evidenceintopractice

Whether discussed under the guise of ‘resilience’, ‘grit’ or ‘character’, there appears to be a great appetite for psychologically manipulating pupils’ personalities or their attributions about school. One concept which has particularly captured the imagination of teachers and school leaders … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology for teachers | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments

Can we teach students effective ‘revision skills’?

Posted on 08/02/2015 by evidenceintopractice

There’s some interesting evidence to suggest that well applied study skills can have an important influence on student outcomes. Indeed, perhaps the key reason that girls tend to academically outperform boys is related to the effective use of study strategies. … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology for teachers | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Personality – just what is it our students lack?

Posted on 11/01/2015 by evidenceintopractice

In 1899 William James collected together a series of lectures he’d given to teachers over the years. If you’ve never read it, I’d recommend it; there are many debates within education related in his work which resonate over a century … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology for teachers | Tagged , | 12 Comments

The worrying rise of soft-psychotherapy in schools

Posted on 22/09/2014 by evidenceintopractice

What is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)? “… for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”                                                                       Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2 CBT is a form of ‘talking therapy’ and operates from the model that conditions like panic … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology for teachers | Tagged , | 5 Comments

What is active learning?

Posted on 01/07/2014 by evidenceintopractice

“The art of remembering is the art of thinking . . . our conscious effort should not be so much to impress or retain (knowledge) as to connect it with something already there” William James, 1890 “Memory is the residue … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology for teachers | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments