Teaching myths checked against the research
Popular claims about learning, each checked against the studies, with what to do instead.
Each page takes a claim teachers hear in training, from parents or on social media, rates the evidence for the claim with the same rule as the practice cards, and ends with what the research supports doing instead.
- Learning styles: do students learn better in their own style?Contradicted
The claim: “Students learn better when teaching matches their learning style (visual, auditory or kinesthetic).”
- Is rereading and highlighting the best way to study?Contradicted
The claim: “Rereading notes and highlighting the important parts are the best ways to study.”
- Do students learn best by discovering things for themselves?Contradicted
The claim: “Students learn best when they discover things for themselves, with little guidance from the teacher.”
- Does sugar make kids hyper?Contradicted
The claim: “Sugar makes children hyperactive.”
- Does listening to Mozart, or taking music lessons, make children smarter?Contradicted
The claim: “Listening to Mozart, or learning a musical instrument, makes children smarter.”