Studies indicate a link between children’s cardiorespiratory fitness and their school performance: the more athletic they are, the better their marks in the main subjects. Similarly, cardiorespiratory fitness is known to benefit cognitive abilities. But what is the real influence of such fitness on school results? Researchers tested pupils from eight Geneva schools. Their results…

New research from the shows that reading aloud can triple a child’s resilience at school, particularly for children at-risk. Focussing on early primary-aged children who had suffered abuse or neglect, the study explored factors that could modify the negative effects of adverse life circumstances, finding that one of the biggest predictors of resilience in both…

A premature start in life can cause problems even into teenage years. A study indicates that training motor skills in these children helps even when they are older. Children that are born before the 37th week of pregnancy remain under close medical supervision while they are young. Any cognitive limitations often disappear after a few…

A group of scientists have discovered a node in the brains of male mice that modulates the sounds they make in social situations. This discovery could help identify similar locations in the human brain, and potentially lead to a better understanding of social disorders. A group of scientists, led by Scripps Research, has discovered a…

A new study has discovered that US students achieve better results in reading and mathematics tests when they stay in elementary school for grades 6 (age 11-12) and 7 (age 12-13), rather than transfer to middle school. In contrast, students in grade 8 (age 13-14) achieve better results in middle school than high school. «The…

Physicists and educators have developed a curriculum for college-level students that shows promise in helping students in introductory physics classes further practice and develop their calculus skills. Now, a team of physicists and educators at the University of Kansas has developed a curriculum for college-level students that shows promise in helping students in introductory physics…

The increase in online education has allowed a new type of teacher to emerge — an artificial one. But just how accepting students are of an artificial instructor remains to be seen. That’s why researchers are working to examine student perceptions of artificial intelligence-based teachers. That’s why researchers at the University of Central Florida’s Nicholson…

Researchers found that shifting learning weeks to the summer term and extending the winter vacation period can reduce the university’s yearly CO2 emissions by more than 4%. While strategies to reduce carbon emissions normally require significant time and financial investment, the authors say that this kind of schedule change could offer a simple and low-cost…

Mathematics and science Braille textbooks are expensive and require an enormous effort to produce — until now. A team of researchers has developed a method for easily creating textbooks in Braille, with an initial focus on math textbooks. The new process is made possible by a new authoring system which serves as a ‘universal translator’…

Minor everyday rises in blood pressure due to short-term stressors can be linked to a brain area that controls conscious and learned motor skills. This discovery paves the way for a chance to influence the rises in blood pressure and, in the long run, prevent hypertension. In roughly half of all people with hypertension —…