The Teacher Toolkit Guide to Memory

by Ross Morrison McGill

' This book is M asterful, E vidence-based, M emorable, O perational, R eadable, and the best book for Y ou on memory.' Professor John HattieTeacher Toolkit Guides transform the theory of education into practical ideas for your classroom.From Ross Morrison McGill, bestselling author of Mark. Plan. Teach. 2.0 , this book unpicks the research behind how learners retain and recall information. It provides evidence-based strategies for improving memory in the classroom.Cleverly designed with infographics, charts and diagrams, The Teacher Toolkit Guide to Memory provides clear, visual explanations of how memory works, including short-term and long-term memory, working memory, semantic memory and episodic memory. Ross presents a wealth of original ideas for incorporating this theory into day-to-day classroom practice, with proven methods for aiding knowledge retention and testing recall, to boost learning, support revision and motivate pupils.Breaking down the key theories of cognitive load, cognitive apprenticeship and brain plasticity in an easy-to-digest format, this is the perfect guide for teachers looking to understand how to improve memory and how they can maximise their impact in the classroom.Each book in the Teacher Toolkit Guides series explores a key principle of teaching and learning, and offers research-based techniques to transform classroom practice. Every book includes a bespoke version of Ross's renowned Five Minute Lesson Plan, as well as ready-to-use templates and worked examples. Supported by infographics, charts and diagrams, these guides are a must-have for any teacher, in any school, and at any level.

176 pages, Paperback

Published June 9, 2022

Reviews

[Bob Small · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good. This is really about the different study techniques that can be used to learn more effectivly (see the Learning Scientists). The chapter on dual coding was helpful as it gave good concrete examples of ways I could impliment the technique. And for me that underlies a problem. I am pretty much up to date on all the current reseach on learning, so I need practical ideas (worksheets, powerpoints, quizes, activities etc), rather than theory. Actually what I want is somone to pay me to take a year off teaching while I write resources. I do recomend this book for new teachers, or old lags like me who need a refresher.

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ross is a seasoned educator and author you can trust to try and communicate the relevance (or not) of cognitive science and how it plays a role in the classroom. Actually, it's fundamental to teaching effectively, and I wish it had been a module or two or even a whole term of study on my teacher training. I always enjoy the insight Ross' books provide so I was really looking forward to this one.

What this book provides is everything I need as a "veteran" classroom practitioner - clear information, how it's relevant, examples, templates to try it out for yourself, and evidence to support it.

Too much of education "how to teach" comes from fads or political agendas, and this book goes against this and attempts to use solid evidence, research, and science to better inform the classroom. A much needed change of direction.

Some of these chapters I digested quickly and had immediate techniques to use. Some had less depth, and I feel this was deliberate to encourage you to do some wider reading and give you food for thought. This was a great balance and really helped me engage with what I was reading. Ross also makes it clear that none of this is a silver bullet, but a tool to inform how better to support your students in their learning by learning "how they learn".

Some explainers were a little convoluted, which meant I questioned what I was reading (specifically cognitive apprenticeship) and the theory underpinning it, and whether this could be misconstrued as a FAD.

Overall, having finished reading it, I'd strongly recommend for teachers at any career level (I've been teaching for almost 13 years now). I will be using, adapting, and embedding the tips and techniques from this book for sure. And my note book is covered in tabs of further reading or implementation.

[Tami Ewell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great background on memory.