'magnifying glass' photo (c) 2005, Tall Chris - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

I often write about research studies from various fields and how they can be applied to the classroom. I write individual posts about ones that I think are especially significant, and will continue to do so. However, so many studies are published that it’s hard to keep up. So I’ve started writing a “round-up” of some of them each week or every other week as a regular feature:

Thinking of quitting smoking? Mondays may be your day is a report in USA Today about a new study that found people were more likely to initiate efforts to quit smoking on a Monday. It seems to me that this reinforces an idea that I’ve always thought — that having students review their weekly goals at the beginning of the week was a good practice. As the article says:

The researchers are not surprised. “People see Mondays as a fresh start, a chance to get their acts together,” says Morgan Johnson, research director for The Monday Campaigns, a not-for-profit organization that leads public health efforts such as Meatless Mondays. The group, based in New York, sponsored the new study after finding that calls to smokers’ quit lines and visits to the federal government’s Smokefree.gov website also peaked on Mondays.

I’m adding this info to My Best Posts On Students Setting Goals.

Scientists Discover Why Exercise Makes You Smarter is from Psychology Today. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On How Exercise Helps Learning.

The Best Learning Motivator EVER! is by Eric Jensen. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning How To Best Give Feedback To Students.

Stop YELLING AT YOUR KIDS. It’s Bad for Them. is an article in Slate about a study that I’ve previously written about, but this article is particularly good:

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh found that “harsh verbal discipline”—cursing, insults, and shouting—can be as harmful to kids as hitting or spanking.

Here’s an additional excerpt from the article:

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Even though it’s not “my” article, I’m going to add it to My Best Posts On Classroom Management since that’s the best place to put it for now.

I’ve written a lot about brain “priming” and its use and possible misuse in the classroom. The New York Times just published a thoughtful article examining similar issues related to it.

How Field Trips Build Critical Thinking Skills is a post from MindShift about a recent study. Though it’s not a study, you might also be interested in Why the much-maligned field trip really matters from The Washington Post.

This new study confirms what every teacher knows — self-control is stronger in the morning and decreases as the day goes on. It goes along with previous research that has found self-control is an asset that can be depleted.

Speaking a Second Language May Delay Different Dementias is a report on a new study. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning The Advantages To Being Bilingual.