Powerful Teaching Unleash the Science of Learning

Unleash powerful teaching and the science of learning in your classroom

Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning empowers educators to harness rigorous research on how students learn and unleash it in their classrooms. In this book, cognitive scientist Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D., and veteran K–12 teacher Patrice M. Bain, Ed.S., decipher cognitive science research and illustrate ways to successfully apply the science of learning in classrooms settings. This practical resource is filled with evidence-based strategies that are easily implemented in less than a minute—without additional prepping, grading, or funding!

Research demonstrates that these powerful strategies raise student achievement by a letter grade or more; boost learning for diverse students, grade levels, and subject areas; and enhance students’ higher order learning and transfer of knowledge beyond the classroom. Drawing on a fifteen-year scientist-teacher collaboration, more than 100 years of research on learning, and rich experiences from educators in K–12 and higher education, the authors present highly accessible step-by-step guidance on how to transform teaching with four essential strategies: Retrieval practice, spacing, interleaving, and feedback-driven metacognition. 

With Powerful Teaching, you will:

• Develop a deep understanding of powerful teaching strategies based on the science of learning
• Gain insight from real-world examples of how evidence-based strategies are being implemented in a variety of academic settings
• Think critically about your current teaching practices from a research-based perspective
• Develop tools to share the science of learning with students and parents, ensuring success inside and outside the classroom

Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning is an indispensable resource for educators who want to take their instruction to the next level. Equipped with scientific knowledge and evidence-based tools, turn your teaching into powerful teaching and unleash student learning in your classroom.

POOJA K. AGARWAL, PHD, is a cognitive scientist, conducting research on how students learn since 2005. She is an Assistant Professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, teaching psychological science to exceptional undergraduate musicians. Her research has been published in leading journals; highlighted by The New York Times and Education Week; and recognized by the National Science Foundation. Her love of learning formed at the outset of her career as a 4th and 5th grade teacher in St. Louis, Missouri.

PATRICE M. BAIN, EdS, is a veteran K–12 educator, author, and speaker. As a finalist for Illinois Teacher of the Year and a Fulbright Scholar in Europe, she has been featured in popular press, including NOVA and Scientific American. Patrice co-authored an essential practice guide for educators, Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning, in collaboration with the Institute of Education Sciences.

powerfulteaching.org

Introduction 1

1 Discover the Power Behind Power Tools 9

2 Build a Foundation with Retrieval Practice 25

3 Empower Teaching with Retrieval Practice Strategies 55

4 Energize Learning with Spacing and Interleaving 93

5 Engage Students with Feedback-Driven Metacognition 123

6 Combine Power Tools and Harness Your Toolbox 153

7 Keeping It Real: Use Power Tools to Tackle Challenges, Not Add to Them 179

8 Foster a Supportive Environment: Use Power Tools to Reduce Anxiety and Strengthen Community 205

9 Spark Conversations with Students About the Science of Learning 227

10 Spark Conversations with Parents About the Science of Learning 265

11 Powerful Professional Development for Teachers and Leaders 279

12 Do It Yourself Retrieval Guide 303

Conclusion Unleash the Science of Learning 327

Acknowledgments 329

Name Index 331

Subject Index 335

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