ABSTRACT
Educators are surrounded by many competing claims and it is difficult to filter through what is warranted and what is not, what is relevant and what is not, and ultimately to discern which evidence we ought to follow. This chapter presents an overview for educators about how to engage with science, with new ideas and claims, and evidence. Specific consideration is provided for common logical fallacies in education as well as cognitive biases that we ought to be aware of when others are trying to persuade us – or we are trying to persuade ourselves! The culmination rests in a heuristic that is provided to help educators remember how to S.E.A.R.CH when engaging with those who say, “the research says”. By applying the S.E.A.R.CH heuristic, educators will be equipped to engage with new research and evidence as it comes out and commit to leading learning as an evidence-informed educator.
