Angela Duckworth and other behavioral-science experts offer advice to teachers based on scientific research. Angela is the founder and CEO of Character Lab, a nonprofit organization advancing scientific insights that help kids thrive. She is also the Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Character Lab is on Twitter @TheCharacterLab.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
What Research Says About Breaking the Negative Thought Cycle
We are all worrying more than ever, given the pandemic, a racial reckoning, and extreme political polarization. Here’s what to do about it.
Teaching
Opinion
The Only Class a High School Dropout Never Missed
New research shows how to engage even the hardest-to-reach students.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
New Research Explains Why Confessions Are Convincing
Admitting mistakes makes you come across as knowledgeable—and it’s a good way to model intellectual humility.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
Helping Students Outsmart Their Smartphones
Kids know they study better without their phones. Here’s how to not leave them to their own devices.
Teaching
Opinion
Why Teamwork in Class Builds Competence and Confidence
When students have real-world problems to solve and incentives to work with each other, their self-efficacy grows.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
To Increase Persistence, Write About Success
To turbocharge learning, ask students to write about the steps they took to turn a dream into reality.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
How to Cultivate Confidence in Students
Help students calibrate their learning to be just-hard-enough—because experiencing a series of small wins can be transformative.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
How to Help Students Know When It’s Time to Quit—and When It’s Not
Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right. Here’s how to consider the decision to persist or stop.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
What Your Students Will Remember About You
The best teachers care about students unconditionally but, at the same time, ask them to do things they can’t yet do.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
What Research Says About Supporting the Whole Child
Here’s one way to think about the role schools play in helping students thrive in every sense of the word.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Are You a Tough Teacher? Research Shows You May Be More Effective
Students may give higher ratings to teachers who give out good grades, but that doesn't mean they're learning more.
Education
Opinion
Harnessing the IKEA Effect for Student Motivation
Laziness is universal, but so is the upside to effort. Asking more from students, research shows, makes them care more about their work.
Education
Opinion
The Best Way to Teach Values to Kids, According to Research
Does it really matter what we say to kids, or is acting on our values enough? A new study tests the effectiveness of words versus actions on how students learn.
Education
Opinion
One Thing Teachers Can Do to Make Remote Learning More Effective
Talk less, ask more. The more we can let students actively engage rather than passively receive, the better.