Product Description

This popular trade book, originally released in hardcover in the Spring of 1999, has been newly expanded to show how the theories and insights from the original book can translate into actions and practice, now making a real connection between classroom activities and learning behavior. This paperback edition includes far-reaching suggestions for research that could increase the impact that classroom teaching has on actual learning. Like the original hardcover edition, this book offers exciting new research about the mind and the brain that provides answers to a number of compelling questions. When do infants begin to learn? How do experts learn and how is this different from non-experts? What can teachers and schools do-with curricula, classroom settings, and teaching methods - to help children learn most effectively? New evidence from many branches of science has significantly added to our understanding of what it means to know, from the neural processes that occur during learning to the influence of culture on what people see and absorb. "How People Learn" examines these findings and their implications for what we teach, how we teach it, and how we assess what our children learn. The book uses exemplary teaching to illustrate how approaches based on what we now know result in in-depth learning. This new knowledge calls into question concepts and practices firmly entrenched in our current education system. The topics include: how learning actually changes the physical structure of the brain; how existing knowledge affects what people notice and how they learn; what the thought processes of experts tell us about how to teach; the amazing learning potential of infants; the relationship of classroom learning and everyday settings of community and workplace; learning needs and opportunities for teachers; and a realistic look at the role of technology in education.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #70700 in Books
• Published on: 2000-08-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 374 pages

About the Author
Committee on Developments in the Science of Learning with additional material from the Committee on Learning Research and Educational Practice, National Research Council

Customer Reviews

Succinct and practical
The beauty of this volume is that it takes a vast quantity of research on how people learn and organizes it in a way which is readable, practical and accessible for educators. The authors distill the findings of numerous studies into three key principles of learning: (1) Teachers must work with student preconceptions and prior knowledge, (2) Teachers must teach in depth, providing multiple examples of the same concept and (3) Teachers must help students develop metacognitive skills so that they can take control of their own learning. These principles are developed and expanded with numerous references to research and practical illustrations. It should be noted that the book is predominantly about conceptual understanding and does not spend a lot of time on how we learn skills such as playing a musical instrument or learning a language. That said, it is an extremely important contribution to discussions of pedagogy and if the advice contained in the book is heeded by teachers, curriculum writers and policy makers, it has the potential to transform many shallow classroom practices into powerful tools that will enable students to develop deep understanding. The accelerating pace of change in the 21st century means that the ability to transfer skills to unfamiliar situations as well as the skills of lifelong learning have become more important than ever. The principles contained in this book will help us prepare students for a changing world.

Excellent synthesis of research into learning
This is the kind of book on education that the teacher, manager, parent or student has been waiting for. It starts from what we would like to know about how we learn, what settings are conducive to learning, how colleges, schools, universities or training places can be best organised to improve peoples' learning. Unlike other books it is based on reliable research evidence from many fields (sociology, psychology, neuroscience, child development etc). This research is mixed with knowledge distilled from the practical experience of teachers and managers. These differing perspectives are brought together to help us understand the problems of learning. The book goes one step further and proposes ways we could making better use of research knowledge to inform our educational policy and what kinds of research we should now do.

Interesting - but mostly common sense
I really purchased this book from an assessment/curriculum development perspective, and although I read the entire book, most of it was irrelevant to my needs. But it was an enjoyable read - and the book contains some nuggets of information - even if it's a bit padded-out. So it's worth buying but you would probably be better scanning the text and only reading those bits of direct interest to you.