Powerful Learning: What We Know about Teaching for Understanding

by Linda Darling-Hammond, Brigid Barron, P. David Pearson

In "Powerful Learning," Linda Darling-Hammond and an impressive list of co-authors offer a clear, comprehensive, and engaging exploration of the most effective classroom practices. They review, in practical terms, teaching strategies that generate meaningful K-2 student understanding, and occur both within the classroom walls and beyond. The book includes rich stories, as well as online videos of innovative classrooms and schools, that show how students who are taught well are able to think critically, employ flexible problem-solving, and apply learned skills and knowledge to new situations.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2008

About the author

Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the Learning Policy Institute, is the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus at Stanford University. She is the award-winning author of numerous books including Beyond the Bubble Test: How Performance Assessments Support 21st Century Learning, and Powerful Teacher Education: Lessons from Exemplary Programs (Jossey-Bass).

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are using this book as the main text for a year-long professional development initiative with the Auburn, Alabama schools. Principals and instructional district staff, along with either an assistant principal and/or reading coach are involved in the work.

This book does a good job of synthesizing the research about student engagement and presents strategies for teaching reading/literature, science and mathematics. Highly recommended.

[Jesscia · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far so good! Linda Darling-Hammond is the guru of great education in 2011. Lots of info about group work.

[Navasota ISD · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Framework for Understanding Poverty 5th Edition

[Holly Esterline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good review of research related to inquiry-based learning; dense, but lots of great examples and resources