How Do We Learn?: A Scientific Approach to Learning and Teaching

by Héctor Ruiz Martín

Go beyond personal experience and discover scientific principles that will elevate your teaching

The international bestseller How Do We Learn? decodes years of cognitive science research into actionable strategies for K-12 teachers, curricula designers, and administrators. You'll discover how classic and emerging findings can transform pedagogy by pointing at practices that take advantage of the innate structures of the human brain. Written in an easy-to-understand style, this book delves into the cognitive mechanisms that govern learning and memory. You'll also discover the socioemotional factors that influence students' motivation and performance.

Researchers have investigated key teaching methods such as feedback and evaluation to identify how school environments influence self-motivation to learn. In this book, Héctor Ruiz Martín unites scientific principles with personal engagement, helping teachers ensure that students can thrive in the classroom and beyond.

Learn how students learn so you can help them achieve academic success Get practical tips and strategies for aligning your teaching with scientific evidence Gain fascinating insights into the human mind and discover how to promote student achievement through socioemotional engagement Help students feel motivated and achieve at their best How Do We Learn? offers rigorous scientific insights—explained in accessible terms and translated into actionable steps that K-12 teachers in all disciplines can put into practice right away.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 22, 2024

Reviews

[Jason Anger · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book marks for me “The Science of Learning” jumping the shark. There is nothing here you couldn’t have read in books published 10-15 years ago in a more rigorous and intellectually honest manner than what is here. A very disappointing read.

[Schwein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and Engaing

A great book to be introduced to the up-to-date research of learning and teaching. Martin’s writing is clear and engaging while not compromising all the essential elements and development of major learning theories. it is a great resource for teachers and educators.

[N.J. Danatangelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very solid book, but I have a few gripes that could have made it even better. First of all, there is no index. This drives me mad with non-fiction books, especially ones as research-dense as this book. I really like to be able to peruse the index and look for what an author has to say concerning certain topics, theories, people, etc. The second head-scratcher was the lack of discussion around Self-Determination Theory in a book that has a whole chapter dedicated to motivation in education. The work of Ryan and Deci is some of the most heavily cited work in all of educational cognitive science so I just find it baffling that it wasn’t mentioned. Even if the author disagrees with their work or conclusions, they should at least reference it and explain why. It felt like a massive oversight to me.

I’ve read a lot of books on learning and educational cognitive science, including all the works of Willingham, Kirschner/Hendrick, Dehaene, Oakley, so there wasn’t much in here that I wasn’t already familiar with. However, I think “Chapter 5.1 - Instruction” was exceptionally well done. There is such a pedantic debate between traditionalists and progressives when it comes to explicit instruction vs. discovery learning, and I think the author masterfully explained the science behind both approaches and how they can complement each other in the right situation. This is a chapter I will go back to again while also digging into some of the research referenced therein.