How Teaching Happens: Seminal Works in Teaching and Teacher Effectiveness and What They Mean in Practice

by Paul A. Kirschner, Carl Hendrick, Jim Heal

Building on their bestselling book How Learning Happens, Paul A. Kirschner and Carl Hendrick are joined by Jim Heal to explore how teaching happens. The book seeks to closely examine what makes for effective teaching in the classroom and how research on expert teaching can be used in practice.

Introducing 30 seminal works from the field of education psychology research, the learning sciences, and teaching effectiveness studies, each chapter takes an important work and illustrates clearly and concisely what the research means and how it can be used in daily practice. Divided into six sections the book covers:

- Teacher Effectiveness, Development, and Growth

- Curriculum Development / Instructional Design

- Teaching Techniques

- Pedagogical Content Knowledge

- In the Classroom

- Assessment

The book ends with a final chapter on "What's Missing?" in how teachers learn to teach.

Written by three leading experts in the field with illustrations by Oliver Cavigioli, How Teaching Happens provides a clear roadmap for classroom teachers, school leaders, and teacher trainers/trainees on what effective teaching looks like in practice.

Genres: Education

354 pages, ebook

Published June 23, 2022

Reviews

[North Landesman · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Teaching Happens might be the most useful book available for new teachers, new department leaders, or new school leaders. It acts as a basic textbook for beginner teachers about what works and what does not work in education. It is clearly laid out, well designed, and well researched. It is well written, full of vivid stories in addition to analysis of research. I wish this book became the standard textbook required by the United States for people wishing to get a Masters degree in teaching.

[Judith Lichthart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prachtig overzicht van onderzoeken naar effectief lesgeven! Elke leraar zou dit moeten lezen.

[Scott Milam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to state up front my bias against the book going into it.
There were some excellent studies in the book and I love the premise of it.
But the conflict/inconsistency within the book is disheartening. The attempt to keep DI relevant by shifting the definition of DI around based on data is obnoxious. The conflict between assessment authenticity coupled with the repetitive claim that solved/worked examples are successful because they show in increase in score on the exact same problems via assessments.

Part of the issue is the lack of diversity within the authors and it's a shame. It'd be good for them to actually have a teacher who can get specific with content, criticism of the research, and has actual experience in k12 education. Hidden in the Rosenshine article (12) is that there isn't evidence to support this beyond early elementary education (again with highly specific/questionable assessment methods). Yet the disdain/whining with little knowledge of the alternatives is thorough.

Read page 85 and really just the entirety of the 8th study and then look at how many studies bite that kritik throughout the book, often while complaining about a lack of "scientific rigor" while the authors have little concept of good assessment (article 27 would do them well!).

I do hope the authors figure this out as the task is important and they have a wide reach. Perhaps my biggest source of bias would be the contempt/ostracism that their readers have instituted toward teachers that is undeserved and not backed by quality evidence.

[Aiwendil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but I think I learned more from the previous book in this series, How Learning Happens. This one felt more obvious or less new to me. Still a worthwhile read, but I think there are more accessible and more useful other books for teacher. It would be a good follow-up book though.

[Robbie Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just great. Really great. Reviewed for Schools Week.

[Anna rzk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be mandatory for all teachers,faculties of education and EFTO .BtW EFTO your OHrC response is sickening.