Five Big Ideas for Effective Teaching

This is the second edition of the seminal text designed to empower educators with an innovative and inspiring conceptual framework for effective teaching. This bestseller is grounded in the synergy of five big ideas for connecting mind, brain, and education research to classroom practice: neuroplasticity, potential, malleable intelligence, the Body-Brain System, and metacognition. Updated and expanded to include new sections on social and emotional learning, this edition offers a firm foundation for implementing current rigorous standards. The authors draw on their experience working with tens of thousands of educators worldwide to drive the book’s focus on practical application. Essential ideas are reinforced through vignettes, examples, inspirational stories from teachers, strategies, reflective questions, and current research on how people learn.

New for the Second Edition:

• An exploration of how guiding students to develop social, emotional, cognitive, affective, and behavioral competencies can improve their personal relationships, peer and teacher interactions, and academic outcomes.
• An examination of recent advances in understanding how brain plasticity extends over the life span, how working memory supports students to tackle more complex learning tasks, and how teaching students about growth mindsets can power learning.
• A synthesis of the science behind the power of positivity, learning potential, metacognition, the social aspects of cognition, and the Body-Brain System for classroom and school applications.
• An expanded reference list with relevant new publications.

Donna Wilson and Marcus Conyers are developers of graduate degrees focused on applied Mind, Brain, and Education science and are founders of the Center for Innovative Education and Prevention. Donna, former chair of Education at University of Detroit Mercy, is faculty with ASCD, and Marcus is a PhD research supervisor with Canterbury Christ Church University.

“Especially now in the pandemic of COVID-19, when educators in schools and colleges are faced with less time to spend with their colleagues, this book may serve well as a resource for continuing to learn about their own learning and their students’ learning. As a framework to launch conversations, this book could be of use for teachers and administrators working together in professional learning communities. The last chapter in particular focuses on the learning that can happen in small communities of educators seeking to exercise their bodies and minds with challenging ideas. For teacher educators, this book could kick off discussions with preservice teachers about how to navigate teacher certification requirements. At a time when life in schools and universities may seem overwhelming, this book offers readers a glimpse into framing this moment as an opportunity to expand and develop.”

—Teachers College Record

“Five Big Ideas for Effective Teaching is a wonderful synthesis of some of the most important and impactful concepts to come out of the learning sciences and into the classroom. Any serious teacher and educational leader should consider this basic reading. Wilson and Conyers manage to weave a complex transdisciplinary vision of the teaching-learning dynamic into ‘five big ideas’ about Brain Plasticity, Learning Potential, Intelligence, the Mind-Body Connection, and Metacognition while integrating thousands of tidbits of advice into the mix. A pleasure to read.”
—Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, professor at the Harvard University Extension School and educational researcher at the Latin American Faculty for Social Science Research in Ecuador

“With the explosion of our knowledge in the learning sciences it becomes pivotal for educators to abandon the outdated ideas and theories that are no longer relevant to 21st Century learners. Wilson and Conyers provide an excellent, gentle entry into the modern learning sciences while promoting clear understanding of their importance and impact on contemporary learners. This is a solid introductory text for preservice teachers, as well as a ‘quick start’ for updating skills for veteran educators.”
—Linda Rittner, professor emerita, educational sciences, foundations and research, University of Central Oklahoma

"The title promises ideas for effective teaching, and the book delivers on this promise in clear, compelling, and believable prose. This is a book for educators, for policymakers, for parents, and even for presidents."
—From the Foreword by Robert Calfee, professor emeritus, Stanford University

Contents (Tentative)

Foreword by Robert Calfee  ix

Acknowledgments  xi

Preface xiii

Introduction 1
Teacher Education and Professional Development: Preparing, Developing, and Supporting Teachers by Providing Them with a Firm Foundation 1
Teachers as Learners: Enhancing Mindsets and Methods 4
Five Big Ideas from Research to Application 5

Prologue: Challenges and Opportunities in 21st Century Schooling 9
In Support of a Gold Standard for Educational Professionals: Teachers as Adaptive Experts and Lifelong Learners 11
Challenges in the Current System of Teacher Education and Schooling 12
Tools for Learning and Teaching in the 21st Century 14
Brain, Plasticity, Potential, and Intelligence 15
The Body-Brain System 17
Metacognition 19
The Challenges of Teaching Today 21
Opportunities Knock for Lifelong Learners 24
Connecting the Science of Learning to the Art of Teaching 27

1. Big Idea 1: Implications of Neural Plasticity for Learning and Teaching 28
Understanding the Science of Neural Plasticity 30
Brain Development Over the Life Span 33
Plasticity Research and the Classroom 37
From Research to Classroom Practice: Plasticity in Action 41
What’s the Big Idea? 45

2. Big Idea 2: Recognizing Human Potential 48
Misunderstanding Potential: The Fixed Mindset 50
Defining Potential in the Classroom 51
Teacher Expectations About Their Students’ Learning Potential 54
Educational Leadership: Beyond the Classroom 59
From Research to Classroom Practice: Guiding Students to Actualize Their Learning Potential 61
What’s the Big Idea? 62

3. Big Idea 3: Understanding Intelligence 65
Conceptions of Intelligence 68
Dynamic, Changeable Intelligence 73
Malleable Intelligence, Growth Mindsets, and Student Learning 73
Malleable Intelligence, Motivation, and Effort  75
Rehearsal: Talent vs. Deliberate Practice 79
Using Formative Assessment for Intelligence-Building 81
Educational Leadership: Beyond the Classroom 82
From Research to Classroom Practice: Intelligence and a Growth Mindset for 21st Century Success 82
What’s the Big Idea? 89

4. Big Idea 4: The Body-Brain System at Work for Learning 92
Social and Emotional Learning 93
Modeling and Teaching Practical Optimism 97
Managing Stress 99
Stronger Bodies, Sharper Minds 100
The Search for Causal Connections 103
High-Octane Fuel for Learning 105
Preparing for Learning with a Good Night’s Sleep 107
From Research to Classroom Practice: Putting the Body-Brain System to Work 108
What’s the Big Idea?  111

5. Big Idea 5: Metacognition as a Path to Becoming Functionally Smarter 115
Metacognition Through the Ages 116
Thinking About Thinking: Two Layers of Learning 117
Connecting Metacognition and Executive Function 119
Teaching and Facilitating the Use of Cognitive Strategies 121
Connecting Cognitive Strategies to Current Rigorous Standards 123
Gathering Information 124
Exploring and Elaborating 128
Communicating What You Have Learned 134
Teaching Cognitive and Metacognitive Strategies by Example 138
A Metacognitive Approach to Social and Emotional Learning 140
From Research to Classroom Practice: Learning by Teaching and Reflecting on Your Professional Practice 144
What’s the Big Idea? 145

6. Teaching, Learning, and Neuroeducation Myth Busting 148
Becoming an “Apprentice” of Effective Education 149
There Is More to 21st Century Education Than the 3 Rs—A Lot More 150
You Can Get Better at Almost Anything If You Set Your Mind to It 152
Your Brain Is a Learning Muscle—Build It 153
Early Intensive Reading Instruction Can Open New Worlds 154
The Little Engine That Could Had the Right Idea 155
Don’t Forget: You Can Remember 157
Support Physical Activity to Support Learning 160
Your Role as a Myth Buster 161

7. Your Journey of Learning and Teaching 162
The Importance of Learning Together 163
Connecting with a Worldwide Professional Learning Community  170
The Joy of Informal Learning 172
Rising to the Hope and Challenges of Your Professional Practice 173

References 176

Index 196

About the Authors 209