Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning

By Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D. and Patrice M. Bain, Ed.S.

Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning empowers educators to harness rigorous research on how students learn and unleash it in their classrooms. 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. This practical resource is filled with evidence-based strategies that are easily implemented in less than a minute―without additional prepping, grading, or funding.

Powerful Teaching 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.

 
 
 

Available in hardback, paperback, Kindle/e-book, audiobook, and Spanish. Please support your local independent bookstore by purchasing through Bookshop.org. Sometimes it’s cheaper than Amazon!

Authors of Powerful Teaching

 
 
 

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More Books by the Authors

 
 
 

  • 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. She is also the editor of the book Smart Teaching Stronger Learning. 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 and 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

    Chapter 1: Discover the Power Behind Power Tools

    Chapter 2: Build a Foundation with Retrieval Practice

    Chapter 3: Empower Teaching with Retrieval Practice Strategies

    Chapter 4: Energize Learning with Spacing and Interleaving

    Chapter 5: Engage Students with Feedback-Driven Metacognition

    Chapter 6: Combine Power Tools and Harness Your Toolbox

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

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

    Chapter 9: Spark Conversations with Students About the Science of Learning

    Chapter 10: Spark Conversations with Parents About the Science of Learning

    Chapter 11: Powerful Professional Development for Teachers and Leaders

    Chapter 12: Do It Yourself (DIY) Retrieval Guide

    Conclusion: Unleash the Science of Learning

  • "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, Educator and Director of Cult of Pedagogy

    "The authors have combined years of scientific expertise and practical experience to create a marvelous book about applying the science of learning in the classroom. Powerful Teaching is highly readable and a boon to all teachers." - Henry L. Roediger, III, Co-Author of Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning

    "In Powerful Teaching, educators at every level will find a treasure trove of new techniques for the classroom. Accessible prose, practical strategies, and solid scientific support these elements combine to make this a book that will benefit all teachers and, more importantly, their students." - James M. Lang, Author of Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning

    "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

    "This easy-to-read book makes the phrase 'science of learning' real for anyone responsible for teaching students. It's chock full of practical tips (not fads) and, mercifully, devoid of academic mumbo jumbo. Please read this!" - Benjamin Riley, Founder of Deans for Impact

    Read book reviews by Edutopia, Barbara Oakley, and Learning & the Brain.

  • What are power tools?

    Based on research and classroom experience, the authors focus on four teaching strategies, called “power tools:” Retrieval practice, spacing, interleaving, and feedback-driven metacognition:

    • Retrieval practice boosts learning by pulling information out of students’ heads, rather than cramming information into students heads.

    • Spacing boosts learning by spreading lessons and retrieval opportunities out over time so learning is not crammed all at once. In this way, forgetting is a good thing for learning.

    • Interleaving boosts learning by mixing up closely related topics, encouraging discrimination between similarities and differences.

    • Feedback-driven metacognition boosts learning by providing the opportunity for students to know what they know and know what they don’t know.

    Are there additional resources available for download?

    Yes! Click here to download Powerful Teaching templates from Google Drive, browse our library of 100+ resources, and subscribe for our newsletter for more teaching tips.

    Do the authors offer professional development?

    Yes! Email Dr. Pooja Agarwal (ask@retrievalpractice.org) or Patrice Bain (patrice@patricebain.com) for more information about keynotes, workshops, presentations, and consulting services. Each presentation is customized, interactive, and memorable.

  • Copyright © 2019 by Pooja K. Agarwal and Patrice M. Bain. Published by Wiley/Jossey-Bass.

    Questions or interested in a bulk order? Email ask@retrievalpractice.org.

    ISBN (hardcover): 9781119521846
    ISBN (paperback): 9781394324903
    ISBN (e-book): 9781119521839