Book: How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching
Authors: Susan A. Ambrose, Michael W. Bridges, Michele DiPietro, Marsha C. Lovett, Marie K. Norman
Review:
This book is the best resource on teaching and learning that I have encountered thus far in my career (including books, PD sessions, formal training, etc.). The authors go over general principles related to student learning (student motivation, prior knowledge, giving feedback, metacognition, etc.). All of these principles are research backed and discussed in such a way that you can understand how and why they work. This content is already good enough, but the book also goes over how to apply these principles using more practical strategies that illustrate very clearly how to actually use these principles. And finally, the book ends by discussing how to apply these principles to our own learning as teachers.
Pretty much everything presented seems to be research backed rather than anecdotal and/or opinionated (though some anecdotes are used to illustrate things). It felt like consuming months worth of reading academic research into learning, except it was so well presented that it was easy to digest. There’s something about the way it was presented too… it was very direct, with expert-to-expert or peer-to-peer language, rather than a feeling of ‘being sold’ on practices.
If your someone that finds a lot of teaching and learning books to be too hand-wavy and fluffy, I highly recommend this book. I listened to it as an audio book, and I’m planning on going through it once more so I can make more detailed notes. Excellent book, I couldn’t recommend it more.
Rating: 10/10