We’ve all heard the theory that some students are visual learners, while others are auditory learners. And still other kids learn best when lessons involve movement, NPR reports. But should teachers target instruction based on perceptions of students’ strengths? Several psychologists say education could use some “evidence-based” teaching techniques, not unlike the way doctors try to use “evidence-based medicine.”
…Read MorePodcast Series: Innovations in Education
Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.
New ed-tech tools and techniques mark FETC 2010
Free online tools that can save teachers time, new innovations that could make online learning more accessible, and keen insight into how educators can let students take responsibility for their own learning safely were among the highlights at the 2010 Florida Education Technology Conference (FETC) in Orlando last month.
More than 7,000 educators and administrators gathered in Orlando Jan. 13-15 for the 30th annual FETC, one of the largest state ed-tech conferences in the nation. The conference also featured an exhibit hall with more than 400 ed-tech vendors.
Here are some of the highlights from this year’s show. (To read about each topic, click on the headline.)…Read More
Visual learning a key strategy for helping students succeed
Software that takes a visual approach to teaching math has led to double-digit gains in the test scores of Orange County, Calif., students—and the software’s maker was one of several ed-tech companies demonstrating new visual learning products at the 2010 Florida Education Technology Conference (FETC) in Orlando.
At FETC, the nonprofit MIND Research Institute discussed findings of a 2009 study suggesting that students using the group’s ST Math software experienced dramatic learning gains.
ST Math is a supplemental program for students in grades K-5 that is based on decades of neuroscience research at the University of California, Irvine. The software taps into the brain’s innate “spatial temporal” reasoning ability to visualize and solve math concepts and problems, its makers say.…Read More