Five Books That Changed How I Think About Learning
What I’ve Been Reading this Summer (Plus a Bonus Sixth Book)
Somehow, July is nearly in the rearview mirror. I just looked at my calendar and realized I’ve traveled, overnight driving for work, or have flown every week since the beginning of June. I guess that explains how the past few months have blown by.
In the spirit of one of Rosenshine’s Principles, more on that below, let’s start off with a quick review! Last time, we looked at the difference between intended and enacted curriculum. The delta between what we think we’re teaching and what gets taught is a theme we’ll return to repeatedly as we try to shrink that gap. If you missed my last post, you can check it out here. One last note: I mentioned how we would explore cognitive load theory in more detail the next time you heard from me. That’s still on the docket, but I wanted to share what I’ve been reading before diving headlong into Cognitive Load Theory (CLT). The other thing I realized when I started writing about CLT is that this topic is too broad for just an email or two, so I’ll look at CLT over a series of posts in the coming months. So make sure you hit that subscribe button below so you don’t miss a post. I’d love it if you could share this email with friends, family, and colleagues, too.
I’ve been reading a bunch for school, all books on cognitive science, the science of learning, and more. The more I read by Willingham, Wexler, and Swain, the more I want to dive into these topics in more detail than I can right now. As a parent, I know how busy we can get with life, so I’ve distilled these books down to a few main points I can share with you. If you only have time for one book, check out “Outsmart Your Brain” since its format is conducive to picking it up, reading a section, and then flipping around for more ideas. Instead of picking up my phone, I read this book in 5-15 minute chunks. I highly recommend you do the same, after you finish reading this article, of course.
All the authors I’m talking about today are people I hope to interview for the upcoming podcast I’m launching for Curriculum Unpacked. Stay tuned for details on when you’ll be able to listen to that new show.
Here’s the list, in roughly chronological order of the books I read over the summer:
• Outsmart Your Brain by Daniel T. Willingham
• Beyond the Science of Reading by Natalie Wexler
• Harnessing the Science of Learning by Nathaniel Swain
• Make It Stick by Peter Brown, Henry Roediger, and Mark McDaniel
• Rosenshine’s Principles in Action by Tom Sherrington
Outsmart Your Brain by Daniel T. Willingham
It’s easy to tell someone to “study smarter, not harder,” but what does that actually look like in practice? I enjoyed Willingham’s book because it is a succinct overview of what works for learners: spaced practice, retrieval (with low or no-stakes quizzes), and interleaving. Strategies like rereading, highlighting everything, or cramming for a test don’t result in long-term success. Willingham gives adults the tools we need to be successful learners and to help our kids develop the tools and habits to make learning stick.
Beyond the Science of Reading by Natalie Wexler.
If you’re a parent or teacher, chances are you’ve probably heard of “the reading wars.” There’s a lot to unpack on the science of reading, and this book, plus a podcast which I’ll share at the end of this post, do a lot to bring clarity to an often emotionally charged topic. She shows that phonics and background knowledge are crucial to raising successful learners. Without a strong foundation in art, history, literature, music, and science, kids may be able to decode a word, but they won’t necessarily understand what they’re reading. Reading isn’t about sounds; it’s about meaning. Students who lack a contextual knowledge base may do fine in elementary school, but they will struggle as topics become more complex in junior high and high school. Wexler’s book is an essential contribution to bringing awareness to a topic which is at the forefront (or should be) of just about every school board meeting.
Harnessing the Science of Learning by Nathaniel Swain.
I hadn’t heard about Dr. Swain until this summer, and I was lucky to run into him a few times at the Core Knowledge Conference in Orlando this past June.
Dr. Swain gives practical examples of how schools have implemented knowledge-rich curricula based on cognitive load theory. Swain shows how this approach helps with student outcomes, behavioral issues, and teacher career satisfaction. Before teaching, he worked with at-risk youth, directly observing how schools fail the most vulnerable members of society in Australia. Helping teachers understand how learning works is crucial, since many colleges of education teach new teachers pedagogical methods that aren’t backed by cognitive science.
Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Henry L. Roediger III, Mark A. McDaniel, and Peter C. Brown
This book is a tour de force examining how most people, students, parents, and educators misunderstand learning. It covers some evidence-based methods that can help students learn more, such as retrieval practice and finding the sweet spot for difficulty. The authors also explore less successful methods for student learning, like rereading content and cramming. These are things that all students (myself included) do, but these methods don’t help students move what they’ve learned into long-term memory.
One thing that stood out to me in this book was when the authors mentioned a political science term, “the big lie,” and how it relates to cognitive science. People fall for propaganda because many of us lack the meta-cognitive skills to think about how we think about a topic.
I could write an entire post about this book, but I don’t have the time or bandwidth to do this; instead, I’ll leave you with one more idea from the book that will ruffle some feathers. The authors discuss how “learning styles” are a myth and give concrete examples of why this is the case. For example, you wouldn’t teach a student about geography only using audio learning techniques. Seeing a map or a globe is a crucial part of learning this subject, so teachers must incorporate different instructional styles to match the topic they’re teaching.
Rosenshine’s Principles in Action by Tom Sherrington
I wrapped up the summer by reading this book by Tom Sherrington about instructional principles. I can’t get too detailed here, but I’ve wanted to learn more about how to become a more effective trainer in my professional career. Sherrington outlines the ten principles laid out by Barak Rosenshine, then adds examples from his classroom experience. While many examples don’t apply to me in a corporate setting, it’s helped me understand what teachers go through in their classrooms. Also included in this book is the original “Principles of Instruction” by Barak Rosenshine. One of the principles I want to incorporate in work and this newsletter is a brief review at the beginning of every email. Was the short review section at the top of this newsletter helpful? Hit reply and let me know, I’d love to hear your input.
Here’s a bonus sixth book recommendation: it’s what I’m reading right now, Why Don’t Students Like School? by Daniel T. Willingham. I’m only three chapters in, but it’s already fascinating. Willingham is a cognitive scientist and a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. Each chapter starts with a brief question and answer, supporting examples and evidence in the chapter, followed by a summary, and ending with discussion questions. I’ve found that asking myself the discussion questions at the end of each chapter is helping me retain this new knowledge.
Before we wrap up, here’s a quote from the book that struck me, and a few questions it could raise.
“Data from the last 40 years lead to a conclusion that is not scientifically challengeable: thinking well requires knowing facts, and that’s true not simply because you need something to think about. The very processes that teachers care about most- critical thinking processes such as reasoning and problem solving- are intimately intertwined with factual knowledge that is stored in long-term memory (not just found in the environment).” Why Don’t Students Like School? by Daniel T. Willingham
Here are some questions to ask yourself or a friend. If you're willing to answer any of these, I’d love to hear your answers. If you come up with a question, I’d love to hear it from you, too!
Can we really think critically about something we don’t understand well?
What good is “critical thinking” if students don’t have the knowledge to back it up?
Would you expect someone to debate a topic well if they didn’t know much about it? Why should we expect kids to?