Jo Boaler on how she stays on top of research

Article in Education Week (link) "When Picking Up My Phone Replaced Picking Up a Journal"


References her most-read article.  How drawing from different types of sources influences how she writes about research:

My approach of drawing from these different kinds of sources to find new research has also shaped how I write about research—and where I choose to publish that writing. A good example is the paper I wrote that has probably had more impact and received more attention than any other I have written. The article, "Fluency Without Fear: Research Evidence on the Best Ways to Learn Math Facts," which is currently approaching half-a-million reader views, was published on my research team's website (youcubed.org) rather than a journal where it would have reached vastly fewer readers.
"Fluency Without Fear" opens with a popular account published in newspapers across the United Kingdom of a British politician who was ridiculed for not being able to immediately give an answer to the question: What is 7 x 8? My paper then introduced important research from mathematics educators, cited the results of several neuroscience studies, and concluded with the insights of prominent mathematicians. 

The paper builds a case, from peer-reviewed research in learning and neuroscience as well as from the experiences of mathematicians, on the importance of moving away from speed and memorization toward number sense and conceptual thinking. It does not read like a typical research paper, but its impact draws from its breadth of sources. By combining research and real-life events, the paper was more accessible for a wide swath of teachers, parents, and other educators.

Don't just read "mathematics education articles":

I view myself as a mathematics educator first and foremost, but there are dangers to reading only mathematics education articles, as the field can become isolated and irrelevant. In our complex, technologically connected world, we must rely on complex technological connections to remain relevant and informed. This information highway is exciting and vivid but it brings with it dangers. We must, of course, be vigilant about the credibility of our sources.