Learning Begins

Learning Begins, written by a teacher for teachers, translates current brain research into practical classroom strategies. Because students learn with their brains, it simply makes sense for teachers to explore educational psychology and neuroscience. And yet, information in these fields can be daunting and contradictory. Worse still, few researchers can clearly explain the specific classroom uses of their remarkable discoveries.Learning Begins both explains this research and makes it useful for teachers and administrators.Part I investigates the science of working memory: a cognitive capacity essential to all school work. When teachers recognize the many classroom perils that can overwhelm working memory, they can use research-aligned strategies to protect it, and thereby promote student learning.Part II reveals the complexities of student attention. By understanding the three neural sub-processes that create attention, teachers can structure their classrooms and their lessons to help students focus on and understand new material.Written in a lively and approachable voice, based on years of classroom experience and a decade of scientific study, Learning Begins makes educational psychology and neuroscience clear and useful in schools and classrooms.

This book examines the fascinating, complicated, and useful topic of brain science..... This is no dry scholarly assessment. Rather, Watson uses scientific research, scenarios, and a healthy dose of humor...to explore a topic that all learners struggle with from time to time.... The book...encourage[s] you to think differently about your students and classroom and offers strategies for short- and long-term success without coming across as didactic., The clarity of Learning Begins helped me to access brain research and use it directly with my students.  Together we have developed new strategies for learning, and I have noticed an excited increase in self-efficacy, as students try out new methods for improving their learning., Watson combines a healthy skepticism of “quick fixes” with a fervent commitment to informed, practical classroom solutions. His clear command over the working memory and attention research is exceeded only by his knack for telling a good story. This book feels as though you’re learning from a colleague who has not only done the thinking for you, but is happy to show you his work., Educators will find the information about the workings of the brain contained in Learning Begins extremely valuable. Watson presents complex and highly relevant theory in an engaging memorable manner and links that theory very effectively to relevant examples and practical suggestions. A highly skilled educator himself, Watson knows his audience and writes in a pitch perfect tone for that audience., Blending his deep knowledge of students and teachers and a sense of humor regarding both, Andrew Watson presents important insights for teachers across the educational spectrum. Importantly, Learning Begins provides teachers with research-based strategies and concrete examples that can be implemented immediately. This book is an important read for creating enduring learning experiences for students, a goal that all of us as teachers hold dear.

Andrew C. Watson is a classroom teacher with 16 years of experience. Andrew has spent 9 years exploring and explaining the practical classroom uses of psychology and neuroscience. As founder and president of Translate the Brain, a professional development consultancy, he has travelled the United States and the globe to work with teachers, students, and parents.