Dive Brief:
- Dr. John Hattie, a professor and researcher at the University of Melbourne's Graduate School of Education, looks to the data to decide which ed reforms we should keep and which we should toss.
- Hattie argues that any education intervention is going to have some sort of positive benefit on learning, but it's a matter of identifying how effective they ultimately are.
- Hattie finds that there are education claims on both sides of the reform debate that just don't live up to their promise, and eSchool News lists several education myths his analysis has debunked.
Dive Insight:
Among reform "myths" busted by Hattie's research:
- Smaller class sizes benefit students
- Homework matters
- Critical feedback must be softened with praise
- Content knowledge is enough
- Inquiry- and project-based learning is necessary for higher achievement
- Eliminating social promotion gives students more time to develop foundational skills
- Grouping by ability is effective
As noted, these include several talking points on both sides of the debate, so it's probably well worth looking into the research and why Hattie says these reforms don't actually improve student achievement.
