Tried & True: A Primer on Sound Pedagogy

by Daniel B. Coupland

Teaching is incredibly complex, and it can be difficult to say anything meaningful about it. But education is far too important to be timid. At some point, new teachers need sound practical advice on how to do their important work. Tried & True does not traffic in nuance. It is unabashedly prescriptive in that it tells readers how they ought to do their job.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction

98 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2022

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple and practical!

[Laura Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard Daniel Coupland at a conference this summer and learned so much. This book is to pedagogy what The Elements of Style by Strunk and White is to writing. It’s simple, straight forward, clear and invaluable. I am so thankful to have read it this year as a new teacher in a school setting.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a helpful little book! It is definitely written for beginning teachers, but there is still much that can be gleaned. The author does a great job making his points concise, but even still, there are fourteen whole points of teaching he addresses. I think I would have been overwhelmed if I read this books at the beginning of my teaching career— I would have wanted to keep everything straight and do it perfectly. There’s just so much! For me, I think it is very beneficial to learn on the job and then read books like Coupland’s instead of the other way around. That way, I have more context for what is being discussed.

[Grant Beardslee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful primer and resource for teachers to mark up and utilize as a reference point. I love its simplicity and clarity of what makes a classical classroom.

[Cameron Fossum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great. I would recommend this book for anyone looking to teach!

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tried & True is a highly practical introduction to the principles of teaching. Each chapter is short, clear, and actionable. I would strongly recommend it to new and experienced teachers alike.

[Hadassah Buie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was simple, short, and covered the basics of teaching. It was interesting to apply what I learned to classes I have struggled with in the past, and understand why I struggled with the way the teachers covered the material.

[Hannah Lipetska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

[Rachel DeWeese · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was good review on sound pedagogy as I prepare for my first official year of teaching.

[Ben Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid list with practical tips on the essentials of classroom teaching. A great refresher even as I enter my second year, and successfully fulfills its goal of giving applicable, sound advice that avoids the nebulous concepts and imprecise suggestions that are common when speaking of teaching.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extremely practical guidebook for teachers. It's less "philosophy" and more "what to do." I liked it.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great read for all teachers.

[Timothy Smallwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great overview of very helpful teaching principles. This small book is a quick read, beneficial for both the novice and veteran teacher alike.

[JR Snow · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent pedagogical handbook in the style of Strunk and White. Mostly aimed at new teachers. I fault even such a short book as this for not including philosophical reasoning behind the practices advocated for. It also would have been nice to connect the practice to the past.

Classical education needs more pedagogical books, it is insufficient to rely on these, or "Teach Like a Champion 50.0" (which Copeland recommends).

[Lukas Stock · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great primer. Concrete. Does what it says.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great little book on the essentials of sound pedagogy. Clear, concise, and compelling.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, succinct primer on teaching. This would be an excellent gift for new teachers. It's also a great booster shot for seasoned teachers. But don't go giving it as a gift to a seasoned teacher; that might come off awkwardly. :)

[Andrew Silagi · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I’ve got a long way to go.” - Elliott Smith

After a visit to Hillsdale to check out their Master of Arts in Classical Education program, I met with Dr. Coupland and was privileged to receive this book. While I read (let’s be honest, mostly skimmed) plenty of pedagogical books and articles throughout my undergraduate experience at Hope, this book hit me differently than many of those for two main reasons: 1) I actually have time in the classroom from which to draw comparisons to the methods outlined in this book and 2) it is not rife with vague ideas but instead is—like the Strunk and White book that inspired it—focused on giving the most practical advice on teaching in the most concise way.

It was refreshing to be convicted of some of my weaknesses as a teacher, specifically that I need to be much further ahead of my students in terms of planning and understanding to earn the authority that I possess in the classroom. Additionally, realizing how significant a school’s missions statement is to the success of teachers and students in the building was particularly insightful. As a first-year teacher, it’s easy to have a directionless zeal to be a better teacher without remembering honest, pragmatic methods to improve one’s craft. While practical knowledge is not the foundation or purpose of teaching, rightly oriented and rooted teaching cannot succeed without the fundamentals. I was blessed to sit in on one of Dr. Coupland’s classes and look forward to, God willing, learning much more from him in the future.

[H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best, most concise primer for new teachers in the trenches that I’ve read. There are many worthy books on pedagogy, many which are abstract and philosophical, and thus require contemplation in order to achieve application, such as Gregory’s Seven Laws. Others are burdened with too much information and thus so dense that a teacher with little time is unable to finish them (e.g. as much as I like Teach Like A Champion, it’s a lot to process and will take a while to read through, let alone apply to praxis).

Where this book excels is to state the philosophy in summary fashion and then provide clear, brief prescriptions that a teacher can immediately use.

For a book that can be read in about an hour or so, there is no other resource I’m aware of which provides so much value.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very easy to read. Accessible general information on classroom management, most of which I do agree with, as a classroom teacher with a quarter century worth of experience.

That said, it leaves out a lot. For instance, this books warns teachers not to ask vague questions like "Are there any questions?" at the end of a lesson, but then gives no alternatives to that. Other books will tell you, "Who can explain this back to me?" or give other specific suggestions to use.

In addition, , fairly or not, I felt a lot of this text was a summarized rehashing of parts of the classic teacher prep book, "The First Days of School", by Harry Wong, which IMHO is a better resource overall.

[Josh Traylor]

I suppose my opinions will be more fleshed-out upon putting these into practice in the 2025-26 school year, but I must say that I think the advice here is sound. Teaching in a Classical School through the Socratic Pedagogical method requires an immense amount of subject-matter expertise, preparation, and shrewd planning. That said, I am very grateful to have received this book from the Hillsdale College K-12 Office, and plan to put many of these things into my plans for the school year, and look forward to seeing how they come to fruition throughout the next year.

[Ethan Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Dr. Coupland accomplished what he set out to do. He has created a primer on teaching that can be read by teachers year after year. No matter how long a person has taught, we all need reminders on effective pedagogy.

Institutions that promote classical education can often have their head in the clouds, so I appreciate that Dr. Coupland has created this grounded and practical guide to teaching.

[J. Alfred · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a little book that would, if it had been given to me at the beginning of my teaching career, may have been useful for a good decade of student's lives. It's worth reading, both for new and experienced teachers, if only to provide another little nip of guilt as regards, say, one's public handwriting.

[Aamna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had read this at the start of the academic year; it is a must-read for new teachers.

Coupland lays out only the most important elements of successfully running a class and expands on them with practical tips. The book is true to its promise of keeping things clear and brief and is a useful handbook to refer back to.

[Coleman Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This small book is packed with wisdom for educators. It is especially a great read for beginning teachers, but even veteran educators can learn much from this book. If administrators are looking for a great book to use during the onboarding of new teachers, I highly recommend this book.

[Brandon LeBlanc · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is what it says it is, a primer. There is more time spent on classroom management than what I would call pedagogy proper, but it is a good place to start for someone coming in cold as a new teacher.

[Isabella Roh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is meant to be a "primer" on teaching, and indeed it is practical, but not specific. The many useful tips are designed to be applied in many situations, making the book a handy one for new teachers.

[Jess Yoder · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books about teaching I’ve come across. Concise and well-organized, it offers valuable insights and practical tips to both new and seasoned teachers. A book I want to acquire for my personal library!

[Elisha Bronner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Succinct book filled with a number of helpful tools for beginning teachers. Enjoyed reading about things I am currently doing in my classroom, as well as things to implement. Great book, but I think a lot of this is learned not just from reading, but from practice.

[Shane Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a worthwhile read. It is a short and easy read for busy teachers. After 30 years in the classroom, I don’t agree with all of Coupland’s suggestions, but I still gleaned new ideas or was reminded of old techniques from this little gem.