Smart Teaching Stronger Learning: Practical Tips From 10 Cognitive Scientists

This is a research based book with very simple and effective strategies on how to help students learn.I wish I had read this before jumping into teaching over 10 years ago. Everything in this book is practical, doable, and very easy to implement.Don’t hesitate to buy it.

Smart Teaching Stronger Learning is an absolute game-changer for educators at all levels. This insightful book bridges the gap between cognitive science and classroom practice, offering a wealth of research-backed strategies that are both practical and transformative. Written by cognitive scientists who are also experienced teachers, it presents the latest findings in educational psychology in a way that is accessible, engaging, and immediately applicable.One of the book’s greatest strengths is its clarity and conciseness—each chapter distills complex research into digestible, real-world applications that busy educators can effortlessly integrate into their teaching. From retrieval practice to metacognition, the strategies presented empower teachers to enhance student motivation, deepen learning, and promote long-term success.Whether you are a K–12 teacher, a higher education instructor, or an educational leader, Smart Teaching Stronger Learning is an invaluable resource. It not only reinforces what great educators are already doing but also introduces innovative ways to strengthen pedagogy through evidence-based methods. This book is an essential addition to any educator’s library, providing the tools to make learning more effective, engaging, and enduring.

I love all of Pooja's work, and this book is short and so applicable. I love this quote from page 15: "Reinvent your mindset" which reminds educators that you don't have to reinvent your classroom and all of your lessons/materials to include these practical ideas, like retrieval--all you need to do is rethink a little here and a little there. I've shared this book over and over again, and everytime I read one of the chapters, I take lots of notes because I find it all so valuable and worth remembering and sharing.

A friend recommended this book to help me improve my own learning and memory techniques while in school. While I have no prior exposure to the content area, the book is very approachable and comprehensive. I have started to incorporate some of the practice techniques with great success! Highly recommend.

As a retired educator who remains active in the community as a member of a volunteer speakers bureau giving presentations around the country, the concepts described in Smart Teaching Stronger Learning: Practical Tips From 10 Cognitive Scientists are easy to integrate into my classrooms and lecture halls. When I use the concepts of retrieval practice, interleaving, and metacognition into my lectures, it is very much appreciated by my adult audiences who attend because they want to learn! This is the book of the year for busy educators who genuinely want their students to learn.

After reading about this research years ago I used retrieval and interleaving in my high school math classes and my students found learning easier and more effective and more satisfying. This book takes all the research and turns it into a concise set of terrific and effective teaching strategies. Having used them myself I encourage all teachers to incorporate them into class learning activities!! I have been retired for nine years and just reading these exciting techniques makes me ache to get back in the classroom!

This concise resource of research provides practical teaching strategies that can be implemented immediately to engage learners in learning, retaining and applying knowledge. Having used retrieval practice strategies in my teaching, I found this chapter appropriate as the first chapter. There are many practical tips to help reinforce the research to impact overall learning of learners from young to old.

This was a quick read that gave me some great ideas to use in my college classroom - I especially liked the chapter about concept mapping. A must-read for any educator intersted in learning more about the science of learning!