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A review by dimayj
Uncommon Sense Teaching: Practical Insights in Brain Science to Help Students Learn by Terrence J. Sejnowski, Beth Rogowsky, Barbara Oakley
4.0
This book is written by 3 authors; Barbara Oakley (who is also the author of "A Mind for Numbers"), Terrence Sejnowski, and Beth Rogowsky. Oakley and Sejnowski are creators of the popular online course “Learning how to Learn”. Just as the subtitle says, this book offers a practical guide to teaching and learning based on insights from neuroscience.
Early on, the authors introduce one of the main themes of the book, a process they call "learn it, link it", which explains how neural links form and how the brain changes while learning. In the context of this process, the authors cover several neuroscience-based topics and their implications for teaching and learning. These include: long term vs working memory, declarative vs procedural learning pathways, the relation between working memory, the hippocampus and the cortex in declarative learning, the role of the basal ganglia in procedural learning, consolidation, retrieval practice, desirable difficulties, habits and procrastination, the role of stress in learning, collaborative learning, teacher-directed vs student-directed instruction, online teaching, and many practical strategies informed by cognitive and behavioural science.
Tِhe book contains a lot of useful graphics and illustrations, and just like in "A Mind for Numbers", there are several breakout boxes such as "Now You Try" and "Analyze Your Teaching". Chapters end with "Key Ideas" that highlight the most important concepts. There's also a thorough list of references at the end of the book.
Whereas I felt "A Mind for Numbers" lacked organisation, this one was easier to follow and had a more organised flow. Although the title suggests the book is aimed at teachers, I think it would be useful for parents and anyone interested in education and in implementing actionable learning and teaching strategies. To echo other reviewers: this book describes the "Whys" and "Hows" with regards to learning and bridges the gap between teaching and neuroscience.
Early on, the authors introduce one of the main themes of the book, a process they call "learn it, link it", which explains how neural links form and how the brain changes while learning. In the context of this process, the authors cover several neuroscience-based topics and their implications for teaching and learning. These include: long term vs working memory, declarative vs procedural learning pathways, the relation between working memory, the hippocampus and the cortex in declarative learning, the role of the basal ganglia in procedural learning, consolidation, retrieval practice, desirable difficulties, habits and procrastination, the role of stress in learning, collaborative learning, teacher-directed vs student-directed instruction, online teaching, and many practical strategies informed by cognitive and behavioural science.
Tِhe book contains a lot of useful graphics and illustrations, and just like in "A Mind for Numbers", there are several breakout boxes such as "Now You Try" and "Analyze Your Teaching". Chapters end with "Key Ideas" that highlight the most important concepts. There's also a thorough list of references at the end of the book.
Whereas I felt "A Mind for Numbers" lacked organisation, this one was easier to follow and had a more organised flow. Although the title suggests the book is aimed at teachers, I think it would be useful for parents and anyone interested in education and in implementing actionable learning and teaching strategies. To echo other reviewers: this book describes the "Whys" and "Hows" with regards to learning and bridges the gap between teaching and neuroscience.