Teaching Students to Work Harder and Enjoy It

Practice Makes Permanent

By (author) John Jensen

Publication date:

23 February 2012

Length of book:

168 pages

Publisher

R&L Education

Dimensions:

235x160mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781610487320

Teaching Students to Work Harder and Enjoy It: Practice Makes Permanent points out a single, fundamental, and easily-corrected flaw that has held back American education for nearly a century—the design of instruction to achieve familiarization instead of mastery. This book explains the psychological dynamics and methods involved in mastery, and how to apply them easily in K-12 learning. A basic insight is that once students have a correct answer to any question, a straight road to its mastery is entirely comprised of practice. Practice continues to “make perfect” in all skill areas including the accumulation of a body of knowledge. Outlined here are the forms of it that enable students to master academic learning perfectly and permanently, as well as become competent with social/emotional skills and alter their behavior. A combination of methods especially valuable for students falling behind can turn classrooms around quickly.

Preface
Chapter 1. First, Practice - The nature and importance of practice
Chapter 2. Accumulate Knowledge - US education subverts mastered knowledge
Chapter 3. Practice Requires Effort - The essential place of focusedeffort
Chapter 4. Effort in the Inner Venue - Connect learning to effort inside the mind
Chapter 5. Practice by Explaining - The central role of explaining learning
Chapter 6. Developing a Mental Field –What comprehension looks like inside
Chapter 7. Practice Saves Prior Learning - The cycle of deepening understanding
Chapter 8. Practice Behavioral Knowledge - Knowing as the first step to doing
Chapter 9. Students Talk Meaning – How to help students express what’s important
Chapter 10. Practice on Substantial Topics - Weight fundamental issues
Chapter 11. Score the Results Objectively - How scoring can energize learning
Chapter 12. More Ways to Use Scoring - Tracking progress on many fronts
Chapter 13. Practice for Performance The motivational spur from performing
Chapter 14. The High School Vise: Four Problems Working around limitations
Chapter 15. Seven Steps to Turn a Class Around Key levers for a distracted class
References

In this three-book series, John Jensen provides educators with strategies for helping students to “master learning with great pleasure.” This goal is a truly worthy one since students’ experiencing mastery and pleasure is the exception in America’s schools and school systems. Jensen’s philosophy for transforming children’s educational experiences is powerful and his aim to help teachers help their students to achieve remarkable learning outcomes provides readers with a compelling view of what teaching and learning can be.