My gut feeling for the past few years has been that the negative side of testing in schools is a loss of creativity.  Now there is research that turns that gut feeling into reality.  According to a Newsweek article, American creativity is on the decline.  In 1958, Professor E. Paul Torrance designed a test to [...]

The Southwest Educational Development Laboratory is a private, non-profit corporation based in Austin, Texas that aims to improve teaching and learning.  Their primary goals are to improve school performance, strengthen teaching and learning in content areas, integrate technology into teaching and learning, involve family and community in student learning and connect disability research to practice.  [...]

Is the bombardment of information technology good or bad?  Are we being constantly distracted or enriched?  Is it possible to learn anything if you are constantly switching between email, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter?  I have had numerous debates trying to answer these questions.  My instinct has always been in favor of technology and now my [...]

If you want to read more about why we should use music in all areas of teaching, read this article by Kathryn Masterson.  She writes about the growing body of research that links music to learning.  Did you know that responding physically to a beat has been linked to reading and writing skills?

Most teachers have to go to a zillion workshops.   Like all things, some are really bad, some are OK, some are very good, and once in a while one comes along that truly changes your teaching.   Brain research was the one for me that fit that last category.  It is amazing and exciting how much we now [...]