Does highlighting text as you’re reading it help you learn it better? Is intelligence fixed at birth? Do people have primary learning styles, such as auditory or visual? Do right-brained and left-brained people learn differently?

A recent survey of over 3,000 Americans shows that the majority of people answer some of these questions incorrectly. Which questions are they? Do you know the right answers? Take this quiz to find out.

The quiz, which has recently gone viral in education circles, was developed by learning researcher Ulrich Boser. Many of his findings are striking. His research confirms the prevalence of learning myths—ideas that sound intuitive but are not backed by any real science. Unfortunately, because so many people believe these myths, students in American schools are not always given optimal learning experiences. Pedagogy is often tailored to how we think students learn best—not how they actually learn best. “Teaching is a real craft," Boser says. "A lot of science goes into it. And we need to do more to respect that."

We recommend reading Boser’s summary of his findings, as published here, in his article at the Center for American Progress. He states that false beliefs about teaching and learning not only create problems in the classroom, but they prevent effective school reform. “For instance, if large segments of Americans believe in passive forms of learning, then they won’t support initiatives to make learning more active and engaged,” he says.

One of the most important things we can do for our students and schools is to help spread correct information about how people learn and which teaching methods are truly effective. Start by taking the quiz to see if you’ve bought into any of the pervasive myths in our society. Continue by reading Boser’s article and spreading the word about what actually works!

Scientific research about how students learn best is at the heart of Read Naturally programs. Our programs are research-based, evidence-based, and teacher-created. We’d love for you to try them out for free!