CBT methods in school

In an interview with the Swedish Skolporten, our founder Martin Hassler Hallstedt was given the opportunity to talk about his dissertation that would later become the fundament of Scientific EdTech.

Martin explains that the core of CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) lies in the positive reinforcement of correct behaviour and the modification of instructions upon unwanted behaviour. The approach is simple: If a student does not learn, it is not the student who is at fault, but the teacher or the learning tool.

After designing the CBT based Parent Management Training program Komet, Martin wanted to introduce the same approach to the teaching in primary school. The ambition led to a research study conducted in collaboration with Torkel Klingberg at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. In the study, the weaker half of 2000 screened students were randomised into four groups. Within each group, students would on top of regular teaching do either math tests only, reading exercises, digital math training or digital math and working memory training. After both 6 and 12 months, all groups were tested again. Results show that the outcome of the 19 hours of regular training with the digital tools corresponded to approximately 6 months of regular teaching.

Digital teaching based on CBT methods was proven particularly effective in helping lagging students to catch up with their classmates. Additionally, students were able to work independently with the tools, giving teachers more time to focus on the children in need of extra support.

This is a summary of the original article. Read the full story (in Swedish) on skolporten.se.