{"id":7127,"date":"2023-06-05T08:02:54","date_gmt":"2023-06-05T13:02:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/braindevs.net\/blog\/blog\/?p=7127"},"modified":"2023-06-06T10:29:54","modified_gmt":"2023-06-06T15:29:54","slug":"the-best-place-to-study-depends-on-the-goal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.braindevs.net\/blog\/the-best-place-to-study-depends-on-the-goal\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Place to Study…Depends on the Goal"},"content":{"rendered":"

A wise friend recently asked a question that goes something like this:<\/p>\n

Research shows that new memories connect to the places where they\u2019re formed.<\/p>\n

So: if I study geometry in the library, I\u2019ll do better on a geometry test taken in the library<\/strong> than on the same test taken in a nearby<\/strong> classroom<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Why? Because my understanding of geometry is somehow connected to this particular place. (Researchers call this \u201ccontext-dependent learning.\u201d)<\/p>\n

So, here\u2019s the question:<\/p>\n

Doesn\u2019t it make sense for students to study in the room where they will ultimately take the test<\/em>?<\/p>\n

This question, it seems to me, highlights two important truths about the intersection of research and education.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s explore:<\/p>\n

Truth #1:<\/h2>\n

Psychology researchers discover ALL SORTS of useful information about learning (and therefore about teaching).<\/p>\n

So, indeed, we do have a good research pool showing that we remember more of a topic in the place where we studied it. (Say: geometry in the library.)<\/p>\n

That\u2019s really helpful to know!<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested in this story, check out How We Learn<\/em> by Benedict Carey. He\u2019s a science writer for the New York Times, and has a story-teller\u2019s knack for making even dry material fascinating.<\/p>\n

In this case, the story begins with scuba-diving, so it\u2019s exciting all on its own.<\/p>\n

Of course, the good research news doesn\u2019t stop there. For example:<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve got lots of good research<\/a> (say, from Dr. Barbara Fenesi) suggesting that mid-lecture exercise breaks benefit learning.<\/p>\n

Also: we\u2019ve got research<\/a> (say, from Dr. Faria Sana) showing that off-task laptop use distracts the laptop user. Even worse, it distracts the people sitting behind<\/strong> the off-tasker!<\/p>\n

This list could go on for pages.<\/p>\n

Each of these research pools might result in practical school-keeping suggestions:<\/p>\n

Students should study in the room where they take the exam!<\/p>\n

Classes should stop for exercise breaks!!<\/p>\n

Schools should forbid laptops!!!<\/p>\n

And so forth.<\/p>\n

So, again: Truth #1 is that psychology research has LOTS of potentially useful information for teachers.<\/p>\n

I promised that my friend\u2019s question would prompt two<\/strong> truths. So, here\u2019s the second\u2026<\/p>\n

Truth #2:<\/h2>\n

Psychology researchers and teachers think about similar questions in very different ways.<\/p>\n

For that reason, teachers should KNOW about <\/em>psychology research, but shouldn\u2019t necessarily DO<\/em> what research implies.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Let\u2019s take these examples one at a time.<\/p>\n

Yes, because of \u201ccontext dependent learning,\u201d students will do better on tests if they study in the room where the test will be held.<\/p>\n

But as a teacher, I don\u2019t want my students to know the material for the test<\/em>. I want them to KNOW THE MATERIAL, full stop.<\/p>\n

\"Young<\/a><\/p>\n

For instance: when my students learn about comedy and tragedy, I want them to write good papers about Macbeth<\/em> and Fences<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But — MUCH more important \u2013 I want them to think about comedy and tragedy at unexpected times in the future.<\/p>\n

If you watched the 3rd<\/sup> episode of \u201cLast of Us,\u201d you know that it fundamentally rewrites the basic rules of comedy. I didn\u2019t anticipate that connection when I taught my students about comedy and tragedy\u2026but I certainly hope that they make it spontaneously.<\/p>\n

And \u2013 crucially \u2013 I hope they make the connection somewhere other than our classroom<\/em>. I don\u2019t want their knowledge to be bound up in one context; I want their knowledge to be gloriously flexible.<\/p>\n

So, my advice to my friend is: do NOT have students study where they will take the test. Have students study in many different places so that their knowledge doesn\u2019t become dependent on only one context<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Bigger Picture<\/h2>\n

As you can see, the practical teaching advice implied by research doesn\u2019t always make actual classroom sense. (In fact, teachers often assume<\/em> that researchers are offering advice; often, they\u2019re simply answering research questions.)<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s keep going with that idea.<\/p>\n

Should we interrupt class for exercise breaks? Fenesi\u2019s research implies we should.<\/p>\n

Well, maybe<\/em>.<\/p>\n

When I teach my acting<\/em> classes, my students are already up and moving. What additional benefit would exercise provide?<\/p>\n

If I taught in a business<\/em> school, or a divinity<\/em> school, or a meditation<\/em> retreat<\/em>, it\u2019s not obvious that exercise fits the appropriate classroom vibe.<\/p>\n

Teachers benefit from knowing<\/em> about Fenesi\u2019s exercise research, but we should apply it flexibly.<\/p>\n

Well, surely we should ban laptops; Sana\u2019s research is regularly cited to make that case.<\/p>\n

Again: maybe.<\/p>\n

If I taught in a large lecture hall and had no way to control students\u2019 laptop use, I\u2019d certainly consider doing so. But:<\/p>\n

Professors can explain the perils of laptop multitasking, and ask TAs to keep an eye out for potential distractors. (A friend of mine does just this.)<\/p>\n

In my own classroom, it\u2019s relatively easy to see who is or isn\u2019t multitasking; why forbid a useful tool if I don\u2019t have to?<\/p>\n

Here again, I\u2019m glad that Sana\u2019s research offers us guidance, but we have to think for ourselves as we apply it to the classroom.<\/p>\n

TL;DR<\/h2>\n

Q: Should students study in the room where they will take the test?<\/p>\n

A: Like so much \u201cresearch-based teaching advice,\u201d this idea seems like a tempting application of a simple research finding.<\/p>\n

BUT, we always have to think beyond these findings to understand how research can best guide our classroom practice.<\/p>\n

\n

Carey, B. (2015).\u00a0How we learn: the surprising truth about when, where, and why it happens<\/i>. Random House Trade Paperbacks.<\/p>\n

Fenesi, B., Lucibello, K., Kim, J. A., & Heisz, J. J. (2018). Sweat so you don\u2019t forget: Exercise breaks during a university lecture increase on-task attention and learning.\u00a0Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition<\/i>,\u00a07<\/i>(2), 261-269.<\/p>\n

Sana, F., Weston, T., & Cepeda, N. J. (2013). Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both users and nearby peers.\u00a0Computers & Education<\/i>,\u00a062<\/i>, 24-31.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A wise friend recently asked a question that goes something like this: Research shows that new memories connect to the places where they\u2019re formed. So: if I study geometry in the library, I\u2019ll do better on a geometry test taken in the library than on the same test taken in a nearby classroom. Why? Because […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":7132,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lb-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.braindevs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.braindevs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.braindevs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.braindevs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.braindevs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7127"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.braindevs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7135,"href":"https:\/\/www.braindevs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7127\/revisions\/7135"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.braindevs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.braindevs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.braindevs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.braindevs.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}