MAKING IT EASIER TO BE A BETTER TEACHER

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

Here’s our weekly roundup of interesting education stories from around the world. Click each link to dive deeper:

• Are we wasting our time trying to catch students cheat with AI?

• Screens are causing kids to need glasses - and it just takes a few hours per day.

• 5 creative ways even adults can apply mathematic principles to their lives.

TECH TALK

My students struggle with complex readings

Teaching complex texts can feel like a constant uphill battle. 

Whether it’s dense history text books, scientific news, or lengthy literacy, students often get overwhelmed and miss key ideas. 

The challenge isn’t just in the content—it’s in helping students see the structure and flow of the ideas presented in each text.

The Solution: Map This

Map This is a tool designed to turn text-heavy documents into clear, visual mind maps. 

Teachers can upload documents, or long web articles, and the platform will automatically extract key points, subtopics, and relationships to create an organized visual map in seconds.

For example, imagine you’re teaching a complex historical speech. Map This will identify key arguments, supporting points, and transitions between ideas. These are then arranged as nodes on a map, giving students a clear visual overview of the text’s structure.

The tool also allows teachers to edit these maps, letting you highlight critical points, add clarifying notes, or customize the visual flow to suit your lesson. 

How About YOUR Classroom?

For teachers looking to make challenging texts more accessible, Map This can be a game-changer. Here are some strategies to try this week:

Strategies

• Visualize Primary Sources: Generate a mind map from any text to highlight key themes and supporting arguments, giving students a roadmap to follow as they read.

• Pre-Read Summary Maps: Before assigning any reading, use Map This to provide students with an overview to help them see the structure of the content before diving in.

• Collaborative Mapping: Have students upload group project materials into Map This. Groups can collectively build out the mind map, ensuring everyone understands the content’s key points before presenting.

In terms of price, Map This works on a credit system - you do get some of these on the free plan. Paid plans start at about $5 USD/month. 

By helping students visualize connections between ideas, Map This turns dense readings into manageable, organized maps - perfect for boosting comprehension and reducing student frustration.

BRAINY BITS

The hidden key to creativity?

Why do some students thrive in Art class while others hit a creative slump? This week’s study explores how visual perceptual training can help us teachers unlock student creativity - even outside of drawing/painting.

The Study: The Construction of Knowledge in Visual Arts

Researchers worked with four Grade 5 classes over two school terms, using a qualitative case study approach. 

Two of the classes received eight visual perceptual intervention lessons. These were aimed at sharpening their observational skills above all else - not just their drawing skills. The others acted as control groups.

Students in both groups completed pre-tests and post-tests assessing their 2D artwork.

Researchers also observed lessons, recorded field notes, and analyzed student drawings to track changes in visual awareness and artistic output.

The Results:

The test group, who received lessons targeted on observing details first, showed marked improvements in both their observational skills and artistic confidence. 

Their artwork demonstrated greater attention to detail, improved spatial awareness, and stronger creative expression.

Researchers identified four key themes that emerged from the test group data that spread into other classes:

• Creativity and the U-curve: Students overcame the common ‘dip’ in creative output seen in middle school with this extra support.

• Creative Problem-Solving: Visual perceptual skills boosted students' ability to tackle creative challenges outside of Art.

• Intrinsic Motivation: Test group students showed increased enthusiasm and commitment to their creative projects.

• Knowledge Growth: Students developed a deeper understanding of how to translate what they were thinking into meaningful artwork.

In Your Classroom:

This study revealed a critical gap in Visual Arts curriculum, showing that many students struggle with basic visual observation - never mind the motor skills to draw and paint. 

Adding visual perceptual training to your art lessons could improve your students’ creativity and confidence.

Here’s how to successfully transform your creative classes this week:

Strategies

• Blind Contour Drawing: Ask students to draw an object without looking at their paper to heighten focus on visual details.

• Spot the Difference: Use side-by-side images to train students to notice subtle changes.

• Photo Study Projects: Have students replicate a photograph in drawing form, focusing on shadow, line, and proportion.

Visual perceptual skills aren’t just for art - they shape how students engage with the world. 

By training young learners to see and observe more clearly, we give them the tools to create with confidence in the classroom (and beyond!).

REFERENCES

This week’s issue adapts information from the following sources:

Tech Talk:

Map This. (2025). PDF to Mind Map. Retrieved from https://www.map-this.com/ 

Brainy Bits:

Mostert, W.A., 2022, ‘The construction of knowledge through visual perceptual training in visual arts’, South African Journal of Childhood Education 12(1), a988. https://doi.org/10.4102/ sajce.v12i1.988