Uncommon Sense Teaching

Practical Insights in Brain Science to Help Students Learn

By: Barbara Oakley PhD, Beth Rogowsky EdD, Terrence J. Sejnowski

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

A groundbreaking guide to improve teaching based on the latest research in neuroscience, from the bestselling author of A Mind for Numbers.

Neuroscientists and cognitive scientists have made enormous strides in understanding the brain and how we learn, but little of that insight has filtered down to the way teachers teach. Uncommon Sense Teaching applies this research to the classroom for teachers, parents, and anyone interested in improving education. Topics include:


• keeping students motivated and engaged, especially with online learning
• helping students remember information long-term, so it isn't immediately forgotten after a test
• how to teach inclusively in a diverse classroom where students have a wide range of abilities

Drawing on research findings as well as the authors' combined decades of experience in the classroom, Uncommon Sense Teaching equips readers with the tools to enhance their teaching, whether they're seasoned professionals or parents trying to offer extra support for their children's education.

* This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF of charts and illustrations from the book.

Teacher's Guide to Providing Instruction

Great teaching resources to meet the on going challenges as well as developing the basis for good instruction.

Wonderful book on teaching!

'm a HUGE fan of Barbara Oakley! I love this book. It gets into the nuts and bolts of how the brain works while it is learning. It's almost like programming reference manual for teaching. Not all the details are here, of course, but it is quite a learning adventure for someone who is not in the business of pedagogy. A must-read for teachers! It was a great read for me, I learned quite a bit.

How to be a teacher all in one book?

I enjoyed the depth and broadness of what this book covers, I think it's a must read for any parent or teacher.

Informative

Excellent guidelines to be a better instructor but too many apps websites and tools to keep track of let alone use. Overall though, will absolutely listen to again!

Some practical tips

Turns out this book is for elementary and middle school teachers, but some of it is applicable for other teaching situations.
I like that there are specific, practical tips, such as how to position lights for an online class. I wish that the book was more focused on that.
I'm tired of hearing the phrase "dendritic spikes." The authors should drop the veneer of neuroscience and simply present the evidence on effective teaching tactics. And I could really do without giving cutesy nicknames to different parts of the brain.
Some of the advice is obvious. Some not so much, such as the concept of interleaving being an effective tool.
I wish the authors made obvious what is supported by scientific studies and what by their own personal impressions.
I am also concerned by how the authors claim some people can speak while inhaling, which is not true. It's possible that was meant in jest, but if so, that wasn't clear. That makes me wonder how thorough the fact checking is elsewhere.
Still, some teachers will find the book useful overall.