Powerful Teaching

PRAISE FOR POWERFUL TEACHING "The authors have taken the science of learning and distilled it into its most powerful form: a limited number of simple but powerful ideas, with guidance on how to use them with insight and fidelity. They've made it easy to be smarter about how you-and your students-learn. Who doesn't want that?" -Doug Lemov, Author of Teach Like a Champion and Reading Reconsidered "In recent years, educators' understanding of how people learn has shifted in big ways, but we haven't had a go-to manual for applying that research in the classroom. Powerful Teaching bridges the gap, showing us exactly how to put realistic strategies into practice in any subject area and any grade level. Teachers who want to see dramatic improvement in student learning must read this book!" -Jennifer Gonzalez, Editor-in-Chief of Cult of Pedagogy Powerful Teaching is an indispensable resource for educators who want to take their instruction to the next level. Drawing on a fifteen-year scientist-teacher collaboration, more than 100 years of research, and illustrative examples from K-12 and higher education, the authors present step-by-step guidance on how to transform teaching with four essential strategies: retrieval practice, spacing, interleaving, and feedback-driven metacognition. Equipped with scientific knowledge and evidence-based tools, turn your teaching into powerful teaching and unleash student learning in your classroom.

POOJA K. AGARWAL, Ph.D. is a cognitive scientist and Associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she teaches psychological science to exceptional undergraduate musicians. Her award-winning research on how students learn has been published in prominent academic journals; featured in The New York Times and NPR; and funded by the National Science Foundation. Drawing on her 20 years of experience as a researcher, public school teacher, and college professor, Dr. Agarwal shares practical evidence-based resources for thousands of educators around the world at RetrievalPractice.org. PATRICE M. BAIN, Ed.S. is a K-12+university educator with 25+ years of classroom experience. Bain's classroom was the first in the U.S. to conduct research with cognitive scientists, examining how students learn. Patrice co-authored Organizing Instruction to Improve Student Learning and authored A Parent's Guide to Powerful Teaching and Powerful Classrooms: Evidence-informed Strategies and Resources. She has been featured in NOVA and Scientific American, as well as popular press, public radio, and international webinars, podcasts, and conferences.

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