The Science of Learning Book Review!

Education based on evidence is generally considered in the same way that Oscar Wilde viewed advice: helpful for others.

In the end, the question is, how many teachers have time to go looking for research that is not hidden behind a paywall or in a language close to English and is immediately used to the class? Exactly. The book seeks to address these problems by taking the method of presenting every research study in two-page spreads.

At first, I was not amazed, more due to its appearance rather than the content, since every page is filled with cartoons which I found to be offensive.

Then I slowly embraced the idea, especially since the drawings relate to the text. Additionally, important data and other information are made more noticeable by being bolder, bigger, or both. Sometimes, graphs or bar charts are used to complement the text.

If you take a closer look the book’s reveal can be seen to have been designed in an extremely smart way. While the 99 research studies cover a wide range of subjects but they are grouped into one of seven main themes: memory; motivation, mindset as well as resilience, self-regulation, metacognition, student behavior, and teachers’ attitudes, beliefs, and behavior and parents; and thinking biases. Additionally, they are color-coded.

This means you could choose to go through all the research regarding, for example, the attitudes of teachers at the same time in order to gain a thorough overview of the subject. That is, assuming you’re able to remain focused without being distracted by chapters.

Another thing about the book that appeals to me is the fact that it’s very simple to read in the event that you don’t feel like studying it in a specific or particular order.

Each case study is composed of a number of sections. The first section is a question for research, then a brief explanation of how researchers attempt to answer the question.

For instance, division of 100 students into two groups according to certain criteria, then creating different tests. The second portion of the research outlines the major results. Then, the reader is led to other research (some of which are included contained in the book). In the final section, the authors discuss how the implications to teaching could be.

Research examples include memory growing mindset, planning, IQ, student resilience as well as predicting future behavior. homework streaming, taking walks, setting up pre-questionnaires, or teaching others, as well as eating breakfast. This list will give you an idea of the vastness of research in the field of education that is cited in this article.

Some of the conclusions like the advantages of breakfast can be predicted. But having the support of evidence and numbers will allow you to, for instance, argue to introduce an after-school breakfast club.

The bibliography included at the end of the book can be beneficial to those who want to dig deeper into the various studies.

After having read a few of the study’s original papers I am able to say that the book captures the findings accurately and in a far more entertaining style than the original.

The best part about this method is that experimenting in your classroom becomes feasible. For instance, research has revealed that telling children that they’re not good enough for maths can have a negative result, which is what you’d imagine; but telling them they’re smart can have negative effects.

With this type of knowledge, you may decide to alter the type of feedback you offer in the near future.

Two small issues is the study titles. Each study reads, “The one about… “ This is akin to the name of a stand-up comedy routine. Also, I think the inclusion of an index would have been beneficial.

However, research in the field of education that is enjoyable to read and are easy to go through for little ideas are evident in their lack.

If you’re a schoolteacher who is looking to learn about the many fascinating findings of educational research without having to waste time in your free time or spend the time to search for it, then you must purchase this book. If you’re a group leader, purchasing a copy for every participant in your team might not be a bad idea and especially if you were using certain studies as the basis for group discussions.