Smart Teaching Stronger Learning: Practical Tips From 10 Cognitive Scientists

by Pooja K. Agarwal

In Smart Teaching Stronger Learning, renowned cognitive scientists from around the world share innovative teaching strategies that significantly transform student learning. This approachable resource distills key principles from the science of learning, with concise chapters and real-world examples for busy educators and leaders in K–12, higher education, and beyond.

Enrich your pedagogy, professional growth, and knowledge of the newest findings in educational psychology with down-to-earth tips straight from the cognitive scientists who are also classroom teachers. Learn how you already use evidence-based methods — such as retrieval practice, interleaving, and metacognition — and gain creative strategies to strengthen students’ motivation, long-term learning, and success.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction

126 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 29, 2025

About the author

Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D. (she/her, @RetrieveLearn) is a cognitive scientist and Associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she teaches psychological science to exceptional undergraduate musicians. Drawing on her combined 20 years of experience as a researcher, public school teacher, and college professor, Dr. Agarwal shares practical evidence-based resources for thousands of educators around the world in her book, Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning, and online at RetrievalPractice.org.

Her award-winning research on how students learn has been published in prominent academic journals; featured in The New York Times and NPR; and funded by the National Science Foundation. She received her Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis.

Reviews

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've ever read regarding the (neuro) science of learning. All teachers-in-training must read this book and books like this before they begin a career in teaching.

[Kerri]

Quick, practical, repetitive. If you want to benefit student learning use retrieval practice, spacing, and interleaving. But also don’t forget to explicitly teach students how to study.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short, user friendly chapters of information to use right away. As an educator who supervises teachers, this is wonderful evidence to support my claims and suggestions.

[Isaac Eames · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously very technical and practical. Full of a lot of good teaching strategies to increase learning. Contains both practical tips and the reason why it works and it's backed up by research and studies. I appreciate that each chapter is 10 pages or shorter--nice and concise for busy people to read. Bonus that each chapter stands alone and you can go out of order if you want to. (Although I just read the whole thing in order).

[Miguel Panão · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the book contains the seeds to change the way we teach, I keep seeing unanswered my main question: how can you apply these techniques when your class has between 70-110 students, you have no assistant and committed to do research?

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding synthesis of research and very readable!

[L Spiering · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy tips to implement and great research/data points.