How does your teacher make you sit—in rows or in groups? How would you like to sit? Does sitting in rows make you feel good or does it make you feel lonely? Do you feel that sitting in a group and discussing things makes you learn more in an easier way?

In the last 30 years or so, experts on teaching methods have thought about these questions. They felt that sitting in rows was not very useful to children, and that they learnt easier and better when they sat around a table in a group. That way, they could also learn to get along with others and exchange ideas easily.

However, it seems they were not quite right. At least Nigel Hastings, professor of Nottingham Trent University, does not think so. He has been researching classroom behavior for the last 20 years in England. His conclusion (结论) is that children work much better when they sit in rows than sitting around in groups.

His study found that students wasted a lot of time talking when they were placed in groups. When children were made to sit singly or in pairs and not in groups as they were used to, they were more attentive (专注的) to their work.

Right now, most primary school students in England are seated in groups of four and six according to Sunday Times. So the report of Nigel’s study could make a big difference to how they will sit and learn.

Have you ever forgotten where your socks are when you wake up in the morning? Can you remember what you ate for lunch a week ago? You may think that being forgetful is not a good thing. But now you should be thankful.

Scientists from the University of Toronto found that forgetting is actually a key part of learning. Remembering all the things is not always easy. Forgetting unnecessary information can help our brains work better.

What kind of information is unnecessary? Scientists say that this may have something to do with the environment we live in. Our brains may require us to remember less in the environment which changes quickly. For example, a supermarket worker meets many people every day and will probably only remember them for a short time. But a designer who often meets some certain people will remember longer. That’s because our brains keep making new neurons(神经元) from stem cells(干细胞), said Paul Frankland, a professor at the University of Toronto.

There is a special area in our brains called the hippocampus (海体). It is important for us to learn and remember. When new neurons go into the hippocampus, they renew our old memories. This could explain why you forget so much information about the time when you were very young.

However, being forgetful is not always good. When you don’t have enough sleep, you may have a hard time remembering new information. Sleep helps the brain store and keep new facts and information.

Sleep plays an important role in our life. A lack of sleep can influence our ability to work and study.

【小题1】

Normal people need 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. But for teenagers, a healthy amount(数量) is about 8 to 10 hours. Sadly, only 1/3 of people manage that.

【小题2】

Tiredness usually reaches its highest twice a day, at 2 a.m. and 2 p.m. That explains whys students easily fall asleep in afternoon classes. So sleeping at noon for a while helps us work better in the rest of the day.

【小题3】

People can make mistakes if they don't get enough sleep. Students cannot pay attention in class or do well in sports. Drivers who have fallen asleep while driving have caused 1%—10% of the traffic accidents in our life. And we can imagine what will happen if a doctor feels sleepy at the operating-table!

【小题4】

There are several ways that can help us sleep better, such as avoiding drinks that make us excited late in the day, going to sleep at the same time each night, and sleeping in a comfortable place that is dark, quiet and warm.