2nd Edition
The Science of Learning 99 Studies That Every Teacher Needs to Know
Supporting teachers in the quest to help students learn as effectively and efficiently as possible, The Science of Learning translates 99 of the most important and influential studies on the topic of learning into accessible and easily digestible overviews. Building on the bestselling original book, this second edition delves deeper into the world of research into what helps students learn, with 22 new studies covering key issues including cognitive-load theory, well-being and performing well under exam pressure.
Demystifying key concepts and translating research into practical advice for the classroom, this unique resource will increase teachers’ understanding of crucial psychological research so they can help students improve how they think, feel and behave in school. From large- to small-scale studies, from the quirky to the iconic, the book breaks down complicated research to provide teachers with the need-to-know facts and implications of each study. Each overview combines graphics and text, asks key questions, describes related research and considers implications for practice. Highly accessible, each overview is attributed to one of seven key categories:
- Memory: increasing how much students remember
- Mindset, motivation and resilience: improving persistence, effort and attitude
- Self-regulation and metacognition: helping students to think clearly and consistently
- Student behaviours: encouraging positive student habits and processes
- Teacher attitudes, expectations and behaviours: adopting positive classroom practices
- Parents: how parents’ choices and behaviours impact their childrens’ learning
- Thinking biases: avoiding faulty thinking habits that get in the way of learning
A hugely accessible resource, this unique book will support, inspire and inform teaching staff, parents and students, and those involved in leadership and CPD.
About the authors
Foreword from the first edition – John Hattie
How teachers use it
Introduction
Studies:
1 The one about memory
2 The one about aspirations and expectations
3 The one about the planning fallacy
4 The one about spacing your learning
5 The one about growth mindset
6 The one about predicting future behaviour
7 The one about teacher mindset
8 The one about teenagers and social rejection
9 The one about teacher expectations
10 The one about IQ and success
11 The one about parents and grades
12 The one about student resilience
13 The one about marshmallows and self-control
14 The one about mindset and purpose
15 The one about spacing and interleaving
16 The one about parental views on failure
17 The one about revising to music
18 The one about the Dunning-Kruger effect
19 The one about parental praise
20 The one about effort being contagious
21 The one about teacher evaluation
22 The one about talent bias
23 The one about retrieval practice
24 The one about thought suppression
25 The one about effective feedback
26 The one about motivating bored students
27 The one about self-analysis over time
28 The one about asking why
29 The one about sleep
30 The one about mobile phones
31 The one about marshmallows, reliability and self-control
32 The one about note-taking
33 The one about Impostor Syndrome
34 The one about reading out loud
35 The one about eating breakfast
36 The one about streaming
37 The one about academic buoyancy
38 The one about the spotlight effect
39 The one about resilience
40 The one about phones and sleep
41 The one about pictures and words
42 The one about teaching others
43 The one about experts overclaiming
44 The one about the Köhler effect
45 The one about the IKEA effect
46 The one about parental beliefs
47 The one about motivation
48 The one about student daydreaming
49 The one about banning mobile phones
50 The one about going for a walk
51 The one about stress mindsets
52 The one about how to give better feedback
53 The one about self-talk
54 The one about parents and reading
55 The one about the seduction of neuroscience
56 The one about deadlines, choice and procrastination
57 The one about smart reputations
58 The one about emotions and achievement
59 The one about interacting with nature
60 The one about stress and uncertainty
61 The one about metacognition
62 The one about helping disadvantaged students
63 The one about picturing the process
64 The one about what teachers say
65 The one about parental warmth
66 The one about how much we forget
67 The one about homework
68 The one about mindset, attitude and self-esteem
69 The one about pre-questions
70 The one about the learning style myth
71 The one about eating dinner together
72 The one about electronic note taking
73 The one about the bandwagon effect
74 The one about struggling scientists
75 The one about effective teachers
76 The one about retrieval practice and stress
77 The one about false confidence
78 The One About Sound In PowerPoints
79 The One About Identifying Expert Teachers
80 The One About Reading and Background Noise
81 The One About Transitioning to Secondary School
82 The One About Drawing for Learning
83 The One About Effective Teacher-Student Interactions
84 The One About How Metacognition Helps
85 The One About Parental Involvement
86 The One About Bad Decision Making
87 The One About Age and Self-Concept
88 The One About Self-Regulated Learning
89 The One About Cognitive Load
90 The One About The Effects of Screen Time
91 The One About Perfect Multiple-Choice Tests
92 The One About Parents And Sleep
93 The One About Classroom Decorations
94 The One About Summer Learning Loss
95 The One About Knowing The End Is Near
96 The One About Interleaving and Discrimination Learning
97 The One About How Teachers Give Feedback
98 The One About The Peak End Effect
99 The One About The Importance of Failing
Tips:
Tips for improving memory
Tips for improving mindset, motivation and resilience
Tips for improving self-regulation and metacognition
Tips for students
Tips for teachers' attitudes, expectations and behaviours
Tips for parents
Tips for overcoming thinking biases
When The Science of Learning Meets the Art Of Teaching
When the science of learning meets the art of teaching
Retrieval Practice
Creating a Growth Culture
Developing Independent Learners
Managing Mobile Phones
Mastering Your Classroom
A Home Environment That Aids Learning
Improving Self Awareness Through Self-Reflection
Reference List
Biography
Edward Watson is the founder of InnerDrive, UK.
Bradley Busch is a chartered psychologist at InnerDrive, UK
Reviews from Teachers Using the Book
"No resource is perfect for all contexts, but the well-thumbed and annotated copies of this book lying around our schools is evidence that, in our context, giving every teacher a copy has been beneficial."
George Casley, CATS College London
"I’ve used The Science of Learning extensively when leading on Teaching and Learning at West Coventry Academy. I produced readers of key studies for teachers and based a lot of the whole-school CPD sessions I designed around the accessible, easily digestible infographics and summaries"
Bertram Richter, Coventry Academy
"As a CPD lead in the school, I have been able to refer back to the book to create resources for CPD sessions and foster meaningful conversations and discussions between the teachers in the school."
Brad Williams, Co-op Academy, Walkden
Reviews from the 1st Edition:
‘This is the book I have been waiting for. Ever since I first started working with teachers on preservice and inservice programs (US) and teacher training and inset courses (UK) in the 1980s, I wished there were a book that presented seminal studies in education and psychology in an accessible way, and drawing out implications for practice. This is it. In this wonderfully readable book, Bradley Busch and Edward Watson present 77 key studies from education and psychology, spanning over 60 years that every teacher should know about. Whether you are just beginning as a teacher, or a seasoned veteran, there will be something here that will be directly relevant to your practice, and, perhaps more importantly, will make you think. Highly recommended.’
Dylan Wiliam, Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment at UCL, UK
‘This book will prove irresistible to anyone keen to understand more about essential educational research findings in the most accessible manner possible. The authors identify the most influential and important findings of research relating to key issues in classrooms such as effective teaching, student behaviours, the impact of family and practice that develops skilled learners. Busch & Watson offer a concise, punchy and engaging resource for everyone seeking to help children and young people learn in the most effective way. An absolute must for every school.’
Professor Dame Alison Peacock, Chief Executive at The Chartered College of Teaching, UK
‘The Science of Learning is a timely and precious gift to teachers. We know that research and evidence, used well, are vital complements to teachers’ experience and professional judgement, but finding the most relevant research, understanding what it shows, and knowing how to implement these findings accurately can be really tricky. No wonder that despite the burgeoning interest in research among teachers there is still limited application of research in teachers’ practice. This book provides an appealing and trustworthy solution: a range of fascinating studies – from large-scale and replicated to small and quirky – has been selected and their findings summarised with brilliant clarity. The discussions are brief but nuanced, and the sections on ‘classroom implications’ offer thoughtful suggestions about how this knowledge can inform teachers’ practice. The explanations are simple but not simplistic – a remarkable achievement. Interpreting research accurately and applying it intelligently are not easy tasks. This book has made them far easier. Every teacher should be given a copy.’
Jonnie Noakes, Head of Teaching and Learning at Eton College, UK
‘This is the educational research book I have been waiting for!
As a profession, it is important that we are evidence-informed so that our most precious resource – time – is well spent on activities that will have the most impact on learning and progress for our students. But we are caught in the catch-22 scenario of not having enough time to engage fully with the research studies themselves. Add to this the problems of academic paywalls, complex and frequently impenetrable presentation and language style, and the sheer volume of educational research available, and the opportunity cost becomes too high for a busy teacher to read the journal articles that might just help them be more effective.
Fortunately, Busch and Watson have the solution in this instantly-accessible summary of 77 vital research studies that every teacher should know. The vibrant, infographic-style presentation leaps off the page, and the structure of the book lends itself to browsing and dipping in-and-out rather than cover-to-cover reading. You can digest the key findings from an important study in just a few minutes – ideal for a busy teacher, whether in training, in the first few years of their career or wearing the badge of experience.
The studies themselves are well-chosen, covering the fields of memory, motivation and metacognition as well as behaviour, bias and parenting. The interleaved structure encourages the reader to see the connections between the studies too, building up a coherent overall picture of what might, actually, work in the classroom.
Busch and Watson have come up with that rarity: an educational must-read. I will be recommending it to every teacher I know!’
Chris Hildrew, Headteacher at Churchill Academy, UK
‘Two key questions facing classroom teachers today are firstly, what research do I need to know? and secondly, how can I use it in my classroom? This book is a highly practicable guide to the often impenetrable field of education research and is a very useful compass for school leaders, classroom teachers and parents alike in seeking which evidence-based strategies to implement.’
Carl Hendrick, author of What Does This Look Like in the Classroom?, UK
‘Like me, I trust you will enjoy reading, dipping into, thinking about, following up, questioning and asking for more – as you touch this book. This is my ‘book of the decade’.’
John Hattie, Laureate Professor at Melbourne University, Australia
‘The presentation of the topics in 77 succinct sections make this a really accessible, easy to use book. It's not daunting to just tackle one topic at a time, and in total the articles add up to really practical and useful knowledge, presented clearly.’
Sarah Brew, Parents in Touch
‘If you’re a teacher who wants to find out about many interesting findings from educational research, without having to spend precious free periods or leisure time looking for it, you should buy this book. And if you’re a team leader, buying a copy for each member of your team would not be a bad investment – especially if you used selected studies as the basis for team discussions.’
Terry Freedman, Schools Week
‘This is a really excellent resource for the busy teacher, education student or study support tutor with plenty of food for thought and easy to understand classroom or teaching suggestions.’
Jan Beechey MCILIP, Dyslexia Review
