Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning

The authors, one a classroom teacher and the other a cognitive scientist and college professor, present an easy-to-read yet thorough examination of four very powerful tools to help students learn: retrieval practice, interleaving, spacing, and feedback-driven metacognition. They provide summaries of research studies for each tool in a way that is understandable to the average reader, describe numerous ways in which the techniques can be used in a classroom setting, and provide reflections and anecdotes of how they have helped their students become engaged as they take ownership of their learning. They "practice as they preach" by putting in review questions throughout the book that employ all four tools. The reader will discover first-hand how effective these techniques are in developing long-lasting and durable memories. This book is not the first to delve into what cognitive psychology has to offer to education, but this is one of the best books I have read to really offer concrete pedagogical techniques that require little to no advanced planning or additional grading. The authors make a compelling and convincing case that the nominal additional time and energy devoted to using these techniques during instruction results in more material being learned *and* remembered over a longer timeframe. Many teacher training programs lack coverage of these useful techniques. The veteran teacher, who may be jaded by years of unfulfilling inservices and professional development programs, is often skeptical of "new" ways of teaching (though, ironically, the efficacy of these techniques have been known for decades). Such skeptics who are willing to read this book, however, should find something intriguing enough that they may want to try in a future lesson. I recommend this book unequivocally to anyone in teaching profession, from student teacher to seasoned educator, from vice-principal to superintendent, and from teaching assistant to emeritus professor. The approaches and strategies provide the potential for improved test scores and grades and a better attitude towards learning among students in schools that are seriously willing to make a paradigm shift in their instruction.

First, it is important to note that this is not an "end-all-be-all" book. As an educator new information and up-to-date ideas are always being thrown at you. This book reaffirms information that you as an educator probably already do, but in a different way (or a different name). I recently "saw" one of the authors during a virtual conference this summer. During this conference I really fell in love with the information that was being presented. I usually try to stay away from the "new fads" that come out because they; 1) come and go quickly 2) are not a long running application that you would stay accountable with using. This book is not that! This book is taking information that educators already know and looking at it in a different way. There are also personal stories, research, and many other studies identified within the reading. As an educator, after reading this book, I have come to the realization that there are things that I'm doing that I know are working. This book confirms that same things. There are ideas that I have used, that are mentioned under a different name. There are new strategies that I plan to incorporate within the new school year. Overall, its a great book to start with as a new educator or even a veteran. It's an easy read, informative, and somewhat conversations with personal stories. Don't buy this book thinking it will "solve everything" or "this is exactly what I'm going to do". I definitely will be adding this information to what I already do. As an individual that isn't fond of reading professional development books and more of a hands on/application individual. I approve of this and enjoyed it a lot.

I love this book. As a teacher with 18 years of experience in the classroom, teaching requires more from us than having the students score well on tests. It requires us to help our students learn-for a lifetime. Great stories, great examples, great insights, and great data-driven research on how to help our students LEARN. I had my pedagogy for teaching and I just wouldn't accept the status quo of what many experts were saying about how to get our students to learn the material. Then this book came along and has reinforced everything I believed in and was doing with my students. Now I have a plan and a method to use. I have used some of the strategies from the book in my class before I read this book, but now I know what I was doing was the right way to go. You can't go wrong with this book. If you want your students to do more than ace the next test only to forget the material in two week, then this book is for you. Be ready to open a new door to teaching.

Excelente libró, lástima que era de segunda mano, no tiene la cubierta que se ve en la imágen, aunque el interior está perfecto.

This book has been one of my go-to resources ever since I read it for the first time in 2019. I love how deep the research is and yet at the same time how simple and practical the tips are. And they work! My students have improved dramatically since I started incorporating the four Power Tools and the helpful little tips into my daily teaching.

I warmly recommend this book to any teacher – regardless at which level. I myself teach Nuclear Medicine to medical students, with a typical face-to-face time of only 90 minutes on three occasions in there studies. The book is the result of a long-term cooperation between a cognitive psychologist (who also has to teach) with a successful seasoned highschool teacher. The main thesis of the book is that we should focus on what we can get OUT of our students (= information retrieval) rather than what we can funnel INTO them (as we would do in a lecture). The book debunks the teaching myth that what is easy to understand is easy to remember. Quite the opposite – effective teaching should be based on “desirable difficulty”. The style of the book is somewhat simplistic, however everything that is said has a foundation in cognitive psychology and each chapter is solidly referenced. Since there are many examples both from university and highschool teaching, the book will benefit teachers at all levels. As I had read similar books before, my teaching was already based on many of the principles. However the book will help me fine-tune my teaching in the future.

The understanding and practical applications that you will learn in Powerful Teaching is sure to be a game changer if you are 1) a student trying to figure out how to study, improve your grades and/or make the best use of the limited time that you have to study, 2) a parent/guardian/tutor trying to support students in improving their study habits, 3) a teacher/professor trying to become a better teacher and improve learning in your courses. The book is relevant for students and teachers of all ages and levels. I am a college professor and have included this book as a required in some of my courses. The feedback that I have received from students is overwhelmingly positive. In fact, many of them have recommended or even purchased the book for other teachers or students. I have never written a review for a book or product before, but this book has been so great for me and my students that I had to take the time to highly recommend it.

Much like another reviewer, I happened upon finding one author, Pooja Agrawal, from the Cult of Pedagogy website some time ago. However, having been subscribed to her online notifications for well over a year, I was concerned that I would just be re-reading the same information over again in a condensed book format. I asked myself what more could I learn that I hadn’t already read. Yet I pre-ordered it anyway and anxiously awaited its arrival on June 5th. Well, let me just say, this book has been a delightful surprise and an enjoyable, informative read that is already tabbed and highlighted throughout. This is an excellent book that provides the reader with the evidence-based research supporting what the authors assert. It should be “required reading” for anyone going into or who is already teaching. Although I had practiced much of what was written in this book, it has helped me to identify where gaps and fragmentation have occurred so that I can better align this EBP process in the future. This alone has been invaluable. I do not know either of these two authors personally, but I would like to say thank you to both of them for writing this book!

A must read for teachers who love teaching. Provides tons of ideas easy to try and put into action. Helpful and clarifying.

Powerful teaching is a delightful read, sharing practical techniques that are grounded in evidence. From communication with student and parents about the science of learning to tools that ‘tackle challenges’ rather than ‘adding to them’, Pooja and Patrice walk us through how to harness what they call the power tools; Retrieval Practice, Spacing, Interleaving and Feedback-Driven Metacognition. Sharing practical techniques to try in the classroom and offering the reader regular ‘power up’ summaries, distilling complex ideas into simple and easy to follow actions and reflection for the classroom, this book is useful for teachers of all experiences. We highly recommend having a look at this book if you want to improve your teaching practice. Dave Tushingham and Rhiannon Rainbow- Authors of The Edu-Book Club

As an experienced teacher and psychologist-in-training, I strongly recommend that all teachers read this book. After outlining the 3 phases of learning: encoding – storage – retrieval, the authors highlight how many of us (teachers) focus on getting information into kids’ heads (aka encoding). Encoding is important and there many ways to help students encode information well. Yet, this book focuses on the potent power retrieval. At its core, it is about the well-established finding that getting information out of kids’ heads is an effective way to help students learn (distinct from assessing learning or checking for understanding). Something that not of us do. The book goes on to outline many practical ways you can build retrieval practice into your habitual teaching practice. Practical and evidence-based 😊

Book condition when received is not great. There are blotches on the cover.

Ottimo libro, basato su esperimenti scientifici, su studi di neuroscienze, mostra come applicare le conoscenze teoriche nella pratica della classe, a qualunque livello scolastico o universitario.