Urban Legend or Practical Pedagogy? Are You A Teaching Ninja?
Alyssa Archer, Candice Benjes-Small, Susan Van Patten, Radford University
Abstract: Pedagogical researchers have made huge advancements over the past ten years.
However, some disproven theories and practices continue to be propagated in educational
literature and popular culture. This game will highlight evidence based pedagogical theories
that are easily adapted to the classroom, and dispel myths about teaching that seem to linger
in common beliefs. With the rise of cognitive development research, many of the false
assumptions can be replaced with solid strategies for how to improve students’ learning and
retention.
Literature Review
This session will explore a range of topics including in-class techniques, students’ study practices, and many
generally held beliefs about students’ learning abilities. A brief summary of foundational literature follows.
The lecture is still an integral part of many classrooms. However, how long can our students pay attention during a
lecture (Szpunar, Moulton, & Schacter, 2013; Smallwood, Fishman, & Schooler, 2007)? Should information be
presented all at once or spread over a period of time (Carpenter, Cepeda, Rohrer, Kange, & Pashler, 2012)? Is it
more helpful to students to delay feedback on assessments or provide immediate feedback (Shute, 2008; Dihoff,
Brosvic, & Epstein, 2012)? Do practice tests coddle students or improve their results (Rawson & Dunlosky, 2012)?
In terms of how to help students best study, should we encourage students to highlight and summarize from their
textbooks (Dunlosky, Rawson, Marsh, Nathan, & Willingham, 2013)? What kinds of notetaking practices are
backed up by evidence (Raver & Maydosz, 2010; Clark, Nguyen, & Sweller, 2011; Mueller & Oppenheimer, 2014)?
There are many theories regarding how students learn. Will persuading students to devote 10,000 hours to their field
of study ensure they succeed (Ericsson, Prietula, & Cokely, 2007; Hambrick et al., 2014; Epstein, 2013; Goleman,
2013)? Can the Millennial generation multitask (Wood et al., 2012; Sana, Weston, & Cepeda, 2013)? Is the
learning pyramid theory valid (Kirschner & van Merriënboer, 2013)? How much should we appeal to visual, aural,
and kinesthetic learners (Lilienfeld, Lynn, Ruscio, & Beyerstein, 2009)?
Goals and Objectives
Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:
1. Discriminate between learning theories that are solidly rooted in research and those which need debunking;
2. Explain why some teaching strategies are more effective than others; and
3. Incorporate current pedagogical research into their teaching practices.
Description of Practice to Be Exemplified
This session will be structured as an interactive group quiz. The audience will be divided into teams and shown a
series of common teaching practices or learning theories. After each one, the team will have an opportunity to
briefly deliberate and vote on whether it is an urban legend or sound pedagogy. After each vote we will discuss
current research related to the topic and how it can influence our teaching strategies. The team with the most correct
answers will be declared winners and given “Teaching Ninja” pins.
Discussion
Many professors teach the way they were taught or use techniques that they liked as students. As one professor
memorably put it to a co-author: “How did I learn to teach? By observing teachers for 20 years.” But a growing
body of evidence suggests that our personal preferences and “gut instincts” about how people learn are often
wrong. Professors should examine their teaching practices and question their effectiveness, rather than perpetuating
pedagogical choices which in fact do not promote learning. This session will dispel learning myths, reinforce sound
methods, and encourage participants to foster learning strategies supported by cognitive psychology and education
research. The interactive quiz format will serve as an excellent framing device, as recent studies have shown that
immediate testing and feedback is among the most effective approaches to learning (Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel,
2014).
References
Brown, P. C., Roediger, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make it stick: The science of successful learning.
Cambridge, MA: The Belknapp Press of Harvard University Press.
Carpenter, S. K., Cepeda, N. J., Rohrer, D., Kang, S. H., & Pashler, H. (2012). Using spacing to enhance diverse
forms of learning: Review of recent research and implications for instruction. Educational Psychology
Review, 24(3), 369-378.
Clark, R. C., Nguyen, F., & Sweller, J. (2011). Efficiency in learning: Evidence-based guidelines to manage
cognitive load. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Dihoff, R. E., Brosvic, G. M., & Epstein, M. L. (2012). The role of feedback during academic testing: The delay
retention effect revisited. The Psychological Record, 53(4), 2.
Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students’ learning
with effective learning techniques promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology.
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Epstein, D. (2013). The sports gene: Inside the science of extraordinary athletic performance. New York, NY:
Penguin.
Ericsson, K. A., Prietula, M. J., & Cokely, E. T. (2007). The making of an expert. Harvard Business Review,
85(7/8), 114.
Goleman, D. (2013). Focus: The hidden driver of excellence. New York, NY: Harper Collins.
Hambrick, D. Z., Oswald, F. L., Altmann, E. M., Meinz, E. J., Gobet, F., & Campitelli, G. (2014). Deliberate
practice: Is that all it takes to become an expert? Intelligence, 45, 34-45.
Kirschner, P. A., & van Merriënboer, J. J. (2013). Do learners really know best? Urban legends in education.
Educational Psychologist, 48(3), 169-183
Lilienfeld, S. O., Lynn, S. J., Ruscio, J., & Beyerstein, B. L. (2009). 50 great myths of popular psychology:
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Mueller, P. A., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2014). The pen is mightier than the keyboard: Advantages of longhand over
laptop note taking. Psychological Science, 25(6), 1159-1168.
Raver, S. A., & Maydosz, A. S. (2010). Impact of the provision and timing of instructor-provided notes on
university students’ learning. Active Learning in Higher Education, 11(3), 189-200.
Rawson, K. A., & Dunlosky, J. (2012). When is practice testing most effective for improving the durability and
efficiency of student learning?. Educational Psychology Review, 24(3), 419-435.
Sana, F., Weston, T., & Cepeda, N. J. (2013). Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both users and
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Shute, V. J. (2008). Focus on formative feedback. Review of Educational Research, 78(1), 153-189.
Smallwood, J., Fishman, D. J., & Schooler, J. W. (2007). Counting the cost of an absent mind: Mind wandering as
an underrecognized influence on educational performance. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 14(2), 230236.
Szpunar, K. K., Moulton, S. T., & Schacter, D. L. (2013). Mind wandering and education: From the classroom to
online learning. Frontiers in Psychology, 4(495), 1-7.
Wood, E., Zivcakova, L., Gentile, P., Archer, K., De Pasquale, D., & Nosko, A. (2012). Examining the impact of
off-task multi-tasking with technology on real-time classroom learning. Computers & Education, 58(1),
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