Cognitive Bias in Education: the Pygmalion Effect
Many of the judgments we make daily, although they may seem sensible to us, are, in fact, far from rational and can lead us to make bad decisions. These erroneous judgments are called cognitive biases, and some 250 different ones are known to date. While the teaching profession encourages the development of critical thinking skills, the learner-teacher relationship is nevertheless conducive to the development of some of these biases, and they can have a significant impact on learning.
Tips on How to Formulate Quiz Questions
Questions are essential for effective teaching, especially when they invite the learner to engage in high-level reflection. Well-formulated questions can also become a powerful tool for assessing teaching and learning. To guide you through this important exercise, here are some sample questions presented by level of difficulty and question type.
Mini glossary of technology in learning
Learning is increasingly taking place in a technology-driven mode, whether or not it is combined with traditional classroom settings. Since this trend will become more prominent in the years to come, it is worthwhile to become familiar with these new realities. Here is a mini glossary of terms that will help you do just that.
Cognitive Bias: When Our Brain Plays Tricks On Us
We are all quite familiar with the phenomenon of optical illusions, but less so with the phenomenon of cognitive biases. However, these perceptual distortions that are to our mind what optical illusions are to our visual system lead us to make wrong judgments or bad decisions daily
Mini Glossary of Elearning
Elearning has evolved significantly over the last few decades, particularly with the advent of digital technology and Web 2.0. Like any other field, it has its own jargon, which can be intimidating for anyone starting to look into it.
Tips on Creating Clear Learning Objectives
Defining clear learning objectives is a challenging first step when creating a course. Viewed as the backbone of many educational strategies, Bloom’s taxonomy is a teaching tool that helps you design a course based on the outcomes you want to achieve. By providing a clear focus, both the teaching and the learning paths become more coherent and easier to envision. Let’s take a look at a few tips on how we can use Bloom’s taxonomy in practice.
[IN DEPTH ANALYSIS] The 3 Speeds of Thought
In your opinion, is the human being first and foremost rational? This is a big question that can give rise to endless philosophical debates. But from the strict point of view of the sciences that study how our box of thoughts works, we have a good idea of the answer... even if we still have a lot to learn about this fascinating organ that is our brain.
The Remarkable Journey of Deep Learning
A sub-domain of machine learning – itself a sub-domain of AI – deep learning is also its most advanced form. It allows Big Data to be processed using artificial neural networks inspired by the neural network of the human brain.
Humour and Learning in 3 Questions
We may all "know" what humour is, but when we look at it more seriously, we realize that it is far from simple. Its mechanics, unlike that of laughter, can be challenging to dismantle from a scientific point of view.
Metacognition in 3 Questions
"You [a disciple], shall I teach you about knowledge? What you know, you know, what you don't know, you don't know. This is true wisdom." Some 500 years B.C., Confucius understood the central importance of metacognition to any learning path.
Elmore’s 4 learning modes
Most of us have experienced all four modes of learning in our lives. Our ability or preference for one of them may depend on our personal disposition, the accessibility or organization of these modes of learning, or the type of learning involved
3 Tips for Integrating Humour into Teaching
Thomas Bernhard once said, "Whoever can't laugh doesn't deserve to be taken seriously," a thought that would benefit from being given more consideration in teaching, even though humour has not yet received the attention it deserves.