npj Science of Learning Community: Digest #22

npj Science of Learning Community presents research focussed on the mind, brain and education space. In August, npj Science of Learning authors highlighted how intelligence mindsets toward academic success are not universally shared and discussed a strategy to support student recall in the acquisition of foreign languages.

How intelligence is perceived and linked to achieving academic success is comparatively different culturally. Authors Xin Sun, Shaylene Nancekivell, Priti Shah, and Susan Gelman, from the University of Michigan, USA, investigated the way data collected from Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) contexts presents contradictory results in studies of educational systems worldwide. The authors discussed their findings with Behind the Paper in How mindset beliefs work differently for Chinese and US students .

Learning a language is fun but, like anything new, there are always challenges to overcome. So, how do teachers motivate students to acquire a new language successfully? Adam Bianco, teacher of French, Italian and Music at Genazzano FCJ College, Melbourne, Australia, described a tried and true but effective strategy to assist students build their vocabulary and confidence in speaking foreign languages. Learn more about this strategy in Oh là là … j’adore le français !.