Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D.
Founder of RetrievalPractice.org
Cognitive Scientist, Associate Professor, & Speaker
Author, Powerful Teaching and Smart Teaching Stronger Learning
Email: ask@retrievalpractice.org
About Dr. Agarwal
Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D. (she/her, @RetrieveLearn) is a cognitive scientist, conducting research on how students learn since 2005. She is the author of the book Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning, editor of the book Smart Teaching Stronger Learning, and an Associate Professor of Psychology at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, teaching psychological science to exceptional undergraduate musicians.
Dr. Agarwal’s award-winning research has been published in prominent peer-reviewed academic journals; recognized by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education, featured in The New York Times, Education Week, Scientific American, and NPR; and highlighted in numerous books, podcasts, and videos.
Drawing on her combined 20 years of experience as a scientist, public school teacher, and college professor, Dr. Agarwal shares practical research-based resources for millions of educators around the world with interactive keynotes and workshops, as well as her newsletter at RetrievalPractice.org. Her love of learning formed at the outset of her career as a 4th and 5th grade teacher, and she earned her Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis.
Speaking & Professional Development Offerings
Dr. Agarwal offers customized professional development around the world, including in-person and online keynotes and workshops with groups ranging from 10 to 3,000+ educators. Click here for example workshop topics and email her at ask@retrievalpractice.org for more information.
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March 2026: Learning Specialists Association of Canada, Toronto, Canada
February 2026: CISC Symposium, Monterey, CA
January 2026: Neural Education Institute, WA
December 2025: St. Vrain Valley Schools, Longmont, CO
August 2025: Highlands School, Birmingham, AL
July 2025: Morton School District, Morton, WA
June 2025: Rockford Public Schools, Rockford, IL
April 2025: Learning & the Brain Conference, New York City, NY
March 2025: Illinois SLD Support Project, Springfield, IL
February 2025: The Haverford School, Haverford, PA
February 2025: Conestoga Valley High School, Lancaster, PA
January 2025: Vellinge School District, Malmo, Sweden
November 2024: Virginia Association of Independent Schools, Richmond, VA
October 2024: Episcopal Academy, Newtown Square, PA
August 2024: Mercersburg Academy, Mercersburg, PA
August 2024: Duchesne Academy, Houston, TX
March 2024: Evergreen Education Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Los Angeles, CA
September 2023: Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Denver, CO
December 2022: Kentucky Educational Development Corporation, Ashland, KY
November 2022: Acushnet Public Schools, Acushnet, MA
November 2022: ResearchED Chile, Santiago, Chile
October 2022: GoGuardian, Santa Monica, CA
October 2022: ResearchED USA, Frederick, MD
October 2022: MassCUE, Boston, MA
September 2022: Virginia Association of Independent Schools, Richmond, VA
August 2022: Mercersburg Academy, Mercersburg, PA
August 2022: Thomas Hart Academy, Hartsville, SC
June 2022: Columbia University Klingenstein Center Summer Institute, Lakeville, CT
April 2022: North Rockland Central School District, Garnerville, NY
March 2022: SXSW EDU, Austin, TX (keynote on YouTube)
March 2022: Aptus and the One World Network of Schools, Santiago, Chile
January 2022: Illinois Mathematics & Science Academy, Aurora, IL
November 2021: EDUTech Asia, Singapore
October 2021: Francis Marion Center to Prepare Teachers of Children of Poverty, Florence, SC
September 2021: World Bank Education Event Series, Washington, DC
July 2021: Creative Leadership Summit, Boston, MA
June 2021: Mercersburg Academy, Mercersburg, PA
January 2021: Brisbane State High School, Brisbane, Australia
November 2020: Tsinghua International School, Beijing, China
August 2020: Metairie Park Country Day School, Metairie, LA
July 2020: Chartered College of Teaching, London, England
February 2020: Pingry School, Basking Ridge, NJ
December 2019: Ditch That Textbook Digital Summit
November 2019: Learning & the Brain Conference, Boston, MA
October 2019: Northwest Association of Independent Schools, Tacoma, WA
August 2019: ConnectED Learning, St. Louis, MO
July 2019: Carl Sandburg High School, Orland Park, IL
July 2019: Teaching Lab, Washington, DC
July 2019: Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning (CTTL), Bethesda, MD
June 2019: Episcopal School of Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL
June 2019: Florida Council of Independent Schools, Tampa, FL
April 2019: Learning & the Brain Conference, Boston, MA
January 2019: Pingry School, Basking Ridge, NJ
November 2018: South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics, Hartsville, SC
November 2018: Digital Promise, Washington, DC
October 2018: St. George’s School, Middletown, RI
September 2018: LearnLaunch, Boston, MA
February 2018: Interlochen Center for the Arts, Interlochen, MI
November 2017: Learning & the Brain Conference, Boston, MA
October 2017: iNACOL Symposium, Orlando, FL
July 2017: Annual Teaching with Technology Symposium, Little Rock, AR
July 2016: Federal Reserve Bank, St. Louis, MO
June 2016: Character Lab Toolbox Workshop, Philadelphia, PA
February 2015: Milton Academy Math Teachers Conference, Milton, MA
August 2014: IES Regional Education Laboratory Bridge Event, Chambersburg, PA
January 2014: National Association of State Boards of Education, Arlington, VA
December 2013: IES Regional Education Laboratory Bridge Event, Laurel, DE
October 2013: Teach for America Development Day, St. Louis, MO
September 2013: IES Regional Education Laboratory Bridge Event, Dover, DE
April 2013: Metro Academic and Classical High School, St. Louis, MO
January 2013: McKinley Middle School, St. Louis, MO
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January 2026: National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology (NITOP), Point Clear, AL
January 2026: Community College of Baltimore County, MD
May 2025: Association for Psychological Science (APS) Teachers Institute, Washington, DC
May 2025: Tufts University, Boston, MA
April 2025: Teachers of Intro Psychology Northwest, Seattle, WA
April 2025: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
June 2024: Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR
November 2023: International Conference of Education, Seville, Spain
November 2022: Top Hat, Toronto, Canada
June 2022: University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
June 2022: SPARK Society, Chicago, IL
May 2022: McGill University, Montreal, Canada
May 2022: Goucher College, Towson, MD
April 2022: SARMAC Society, Coventry, UK
February 2022: Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
February 2022: University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
January 2022: Collin College, McKinney, TX
October 2021: Touro University, New York, NY
July 2021: SARMAC Society, Coventry, UK
April 2021: Harvard University, Boston, MA
April 2021: McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
February 2020: Lafayette College, Easton, PA
November 2019: University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland
October 2019: APA Society for the Teaching of Psychology, Denver, CO
May 2019: West Point (U.S. Military Academy), West Point, NY
May 2019: Tyler Technologies, Yarmouth, ME
March 2019: University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
December 2018: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
November 2018: edX, Cambridge, MA
October 2018: Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, MA
October 2018: Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA
September 2018: Massachusetts Bay Community College, Boston, MA
August 2018: James S. McDonnell Foundation, St. Louis, MO
July 2018: Truman Scholars Association, Washington, DC
April 2018: University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
February 2018: Ontario Institute for Education, Toronto, Canada
May 2017: Husson University, Bangor, ME
April 2017: Association for University Regional Campuses of Ohio, Huron, OH
March 2017: Fontbonne University, St. Louis, MO
October 2016: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
October 2016: Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
March 2016: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston, MA
November 2014: Lindenwood University, St. Charles, MO
September 2013: St. Louis University Medical School, St. Louis, MO
August 2012: University of Texas Center for Teaching and Learning, Austin, TX
June 2012: University of Texas Summer Institute, Austin, TX
June 2011: Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal, Lisbon
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Powerful teaching: In-depth recommendations for making the most of retrieval practice, spacing, interleaving, and metacognition activities in the classroom
Start, stop, and keep: Guided discussion and reflection on implementing research-based teaching strategies, including goal setting and problem solving
Forgetting is normal: Learn about why forgetting happens, why it’s good for learning, and how to normalize it in the classroom
Study smarter, not harder: Applicable for educators, students, and parents about how to study effectively, including practical time-saving tips for independent learners
Debunking neuromyths: Learn about how the brain works, why we fall for neuromyths, and how to be an informed consumer of neuroscience research
Neurodiversity: Learn about working memory and how to support neurodiverse students with specific retrieval practice and metacognition strategies
Multi-failing: Learn about why humans are unable to multi-task and how to use retrieval practice to minimize distractions and boost learning in the classroom
Think like a scientist: Learn how to identify good vs. bad science, how to read a research article, and how to design an action research project in your classroom