Hot MedFax

Does your daughter expect a D on the algebra test?  No matter the amount of studying, she will probably get it. Not because she's dumb.  Because somehow kids' expectations of how they will do in a class actually affect the outcome, according to a new study. Research has shown that what a student expects to learn and how they expect to do in a class actually has an impact on their learning, professor Angela King has found. For example, she says at newswise.com, a student might take a divisional class and assume they will get an A because it’s viewed as their “easy” class. “They are already calculating their GPA based on that A and will do whatever it takes to get that A, while a student who takes a class perceived as more difficult, like an organic chemistry course, just wants to pass the class.” And sometimes that means they settle for a C, she added, when a little more effort or an alternative study method could help them improve their learning, and their grade...

Damn. Looks like my husband was right again.  A new study has found that getting kids to bed at the same time every night (read: early) is a very good thing. Researchers found that a good night’s sleep is linked to better performance in math and languages – subjects that are powerful predictors of later learning and academic success, according to newswise.com.  In findings published recently in the journal Sleep Medicine , the researchers reported that “sleep efficiency” is associated with higher academic performance in those key subjects. Sleep efficiency is a gauge of sleep quality that compares the amount of actual sleep time with the total time spent in bed. While other studies have pointed to links between sleep and general academic performance, these   scientists examined the impact of sleep quality on report-card grades in specific subjects. The upshot: with greater sleep efficiency, the children did better in math and languages – but don't ...

Can phys ed make our kids smarter?  Some say yes. According to smartplanet.com, "Researchers at the universities of Strathclyde and Dundee found an increase in performance for every 17 minutes boys exercised, and 12 minutes for girls,” the BBC reported , noting that,”children who carried out regular exercise not only did better academically at 11 but also at 13 and in their exams at 16, the study suggested.” “Physical activity is more than just important for your physical health," smartplanet.com quotes Dr. Josie Booth, a co-leader of the study. "There are other benefits and that is something that should be especially important to parents, policy-makers and people involved in education.” Gretchen Reynolds at the NYT agrees, reporting that "Children who are physically fit absorb and retain new information more effectively than children who are out of shape, a new study finds, raising timely questions about the wisdom of slashing physical education programs at...