Most students often don't actually suck at math or science, he said, but they come to believe they do because of a one-size-fits-all teaching environment that then administers poorly constructed tests that emphasize a binary, pass or fail method of delivering feedback. According to Ulrik, McGraw-Hill's new LearnSmart program solves these problems by adjusting the presentation and feedback of the course material differently for each individual learner.
Christensen is touring the country giving lectures and making media appearances to help promote his company's new adaptive learning tools, and in this episode of the You Are Not So Smart Podcast he stops by to explain how programs first created to assist would-be doctors make it through medical school with a deep understanding and mastery of the material are now being used to prevent learned helplessness and many other cognitive errors that sabotage the learning process from kindergarten to graduation.
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After the interview, I discuss a news story about how people suffering from schizophrenia in different cultures hear different kinds of voices.
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When Children Fail in School Part Two: Teaching Strategies for Learned Helpless Students
Learned Helplessness: Balancing Teacher Expectations and Student Self-esteem
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