The Goldilocks Map: A Classroom Teacher's Quest to Evaluate 'Brain-Based' Teaching Advice

by Andrew C. Watson

In the last twenty years, the cognitive sciences have revealed fresh, surprising, and useful insights into how and why our students learn. Teachers can now draw on psychology and neuroscience research to supplement, reconsider, even overturn our traditions and training.

To use this research most wisely, teachers must find our way to an elusive Goldilocks Zone.

Instead of resisting all research-based guidance, we should be ready to take it to heart—even when it challenges both our training and conventional wisdom.

Instead of accepting all research-based guidance, we should be ready to reject it emphatically—especially the hyped-up edu-fads that exaggerate and misinterpret psychology findings.

How can we get this Goldilocks balance “just right”?

This book offers a specific, practical quest map to discover just such a balance. By critically examining the source, the research, and ourselves, teachers can develop the skills necessary to be effective research skeptics.

Written by a teacher with 18 years in the classroom—and 13 years studying neuroscience and psychology—The Goldilocks Map transforms brain research from a daunting monologue into an approachable, exciting, and lively conversation.

Genres: Education

256 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2021

Reviews

[North Landesman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought this book was especially interesting and helpful. I wish I had read it when I had started teaching to save myself some time and failure. Well written and accesible in a field that can be confusing and dense.

[Beth Hawks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a little biased because Andrew is a friend, but I found this book to have a helpful framework for evaluating education research. If that is a topic that interests you, you should read it.