The effect of variability on learning is recognized in many fields: learning is harder when input is variable, but variability leads to better generalization of the knowledge we learned. In this ...

Language learning anxiety, or the stress that accompanies language learning in the classroom, is well-established in the literature (Sparks and Ganschow, 2007; Woodrow, 2006; Truitt, 1995), along with ...

Have you ever wanted to learn a second or third language, but didn’t have the free time to take a class? Perfect Fools created a website and Facebook app for Keewords, an online company that teaches ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American Noam Chomsky’s political views attract so ...

In education, as in psychology, clarity matters. Yet in everyday conversations about teaching and learning, terms like learning theory and pedagogy are often used interchangeably. Phrases such as “We ...

Theoretical physicists use machine-learning algorithms to speed up difficult calculations and eliminate untenable theories—but could they transform what it means to make discoveries? Theoretical ...

Over the past several years, there has been an increased research output in the field of language acquisition and its effects on the brain. This is especially true with regards to the effects of ...

Research suggests that bilingual people enjoy some cognitive benefits later in life, but it probably requires more than a few Spanish lessons in your 60s. By Dana G. Smith My father decided to start ...

The long-held idea that language learning is better before adulthood is up for debate. Adults have a number of advantages when it comes to learning a second language, and it comes with major benefits.

“The lexicon of a foreign language is like a map of a country you’ve never been to,” says psychologist Tim Lomas, a lecturer at the University of East London. While travelers tend to think that seeing ...