Better Teaching: Only Stuff That Works Blake Harvard On What Teachers and Students Need to Know About How We Learn
Oct 16, 2024
Blake Harvard, an AP psychology teacher with nearly two decades of experience, discusses insights from his book, Do I Have Your Attention?. He delves into memory constraints and effective teaching strategies like retrieval practice and spaced practice. Blake emphasizes the importance of high expectations for students and teaches them about their own learning processes. He introduces the innovative Brain Book Buddy technique, promoting peer discussion as a method for deeper understanding. Lastly, he encourages normalizing forgetting to foster a growth mindset.
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Presented On Attention Contagion
- Blake presented on attention contagion at the Festival of Education and discussed whether student attention is contagious in class.
- He used studies and teacher observations to apply the concept to classroom practice.
Know How Memory Actually Works
- Memory works as a process from sensing to working memory to long-term memory, and many teachers lack this foundational knowledge.
- Blake Harbord argues that understanding memory should shape lesson design and classroom environment decisions.
Teach Retrieval And Spaced Practice
- Use retrieval practice and spaced practice because a century of research shows they beat rereading and cramming.
- Teach students how these strategies work and model them so learners apply them across subjects.
