Memorable Teaching: Leveraging memory to build deep and durable learning in the classroom: 2 (High Impact Teaching)

Probably the most to-the-point, clear, no-nonsense book on teaching and learning I’ve read so far. No flowery language or superfluous content. Every page... no, every sentence, is concerned with not just what works best in the classroom context, but, crucially, WHY. For too long, teachers have planned lessons around engaging m, jazzy tasks, giving little to no thought to what was going on in their students’ brains in terms of their THINKING. Consequently, we took our eye off the ball, but this book seeks to address the issue that when students are made to think, learning is more likely to take place. It explores the nature of working and long term memory and, despite its concise nature, gives a very comprehensive account of what we as educators can do to maximise our students’ ability to grasp and retain new concepts. However long you’ve been teaching (and I speak as someone who has twenty-two years’ experience), this book will have something to offer your practice. Highly recommend!

Dear Horsemen and Women of the Tweed apocalypse, Whenever the subject of memory comes up, invariably ganglions start vibrating and fears about Victorian ‘rote learning’ start whizzing about; as if getting students to remember the things we teach is an abuse of personal freedom and human dignity - I wonder why nobody says this about musicians practicing their scales, or actors learning their lines - but that is another matter. For the record, Peps Mccrea’s amazing book on ‘Memorable Teaching’ is not about making rows of robot students endlessly recite things until they have learnt them. Instead, this lovely, slim, volume contains fantastically useful strategies for ‘leveraging memory to build deep and durable learning in the classroom.’ Mccrea manages on every page to distil the latest theories of cognitive science into a readily accessible volume that allows you to make small but crucial changes to practice. In a nutshell he identifies nine key areas that are proven to have impact - for example how to focus student attention on what they need to think about and therefore enhance their chances of learning/bringing about a change in long term memory. He explains how busy slides and displays overload limited working memory, and he gives excellent advice on how to ‘orient’ student attention - and that’s just for starters!! A memorable book on memory. I shall be borrowing heavily from this book and sharing widely with new and experienced teachers alike.

A fantastic summary of the latest work in memory for students and how it can be used in the classroom to develop teaching methods. A lot of work is based on the current Ark Teaching Training and it is a great starting point for those with a vague interest in improving the quality of their teaching with enough notes and further reading to start the process. The only issue is the price tag for the paperback version which is a little steep, so probably should have bought the kindle version. However a great book which can be enjoyed by all in the teaching profession.

The reasons that this is a must-read book for all teachers are twofold. First, a realisation for all teachers that 'our goal in teaching is to build powerful long term memory' is deceptively simple, and incredibly profound. Even as a card carrying convert to the importance of teaching to build knowledge above all else, this statement struck me as vital. If all teachers realised that this was indeed the primary reason for their role, the state of the education system in the UK would be much improved. A second, related strength of Memorable Teaching is its structure. Peps' novel and well thought-out structuring of memory teaching techniques into 'Harness', 'Direct' and 'Amplify' goes a long way to equipping teachers with the tools to teach for memory in an effective way. The book packs an awful lot of useful material into a short, easy to read format and as such is something that all teachers should add to their collections.

In the busy world of education talking and thinking about memory in an accessible fashion is still a woefully neglected area. A common language about memory and a common understanding of the research underpinning how we as teachers can harness our students' memory capacity is in desperate need. Into this void arrives Peps Mccrea's 'Memorable Teaching'. It distills the theories about memory that we have all heard but not fully grasped with a concise clarity, providing the busy teacher with strategies to instantly have impact in the classroom. 'Memorable Teaching' is a short and accessible read that directs to endless further research and will leave teachers powerfully enabled to become better practitioners. More importantly, it will assist us in fulfilling one of our principal aims: to encourage young people to remember and retain information.

I was introduced to Peps’ work at the start of lockdown by my former coach. Since then I have lived and breathed the memorable teaching and lean lesson planning books, using them as valuable evidence to inform coaching sessions with NQTs and UQTs. Although I found most of it is what I already do it is fascinating to understand the science behind what has become instinctive as an experienced teacher. My favourite part of this book found your references for further reading. His book is concise as to not cognitively over load the reader but these further reading references offer you the opportunity to delve deeper into any areas that peak your interest. Thanks Peps!

This is a remarkable book. It is almost entirely devoid of the anecdotes and examples which typically make ideas come alive. It is so pared down and economically written that it really functions as a cheat sheet on memory for teachers. So of course in order to make it come alive the reader will have to do the work of thinking through the nine principles of memorable teaching and how they can be applied in their own classroom. This book is likely to be a rewarding short read for a busy teacher, but I think it could be even more powerfully used as part of a team project to implement ideas from memory science to advance student achievement. It is strongly recommended.

A really interesting read! This is a succinct book but every page is filled with nuggets of wisdom about memory, and practical strategies for how we can exploit the science in our classrooms. I found the section on retrieval particularly helpful and will use as part of our cpd sessions this year as some pre-reading. If you're new to learning about cognitive science, I'd say this book is a great start!