Teaching for Cognitive Engagement: Nine High-Impact, Myth-Busting Strategies for K–12 Instruction

Teaching for Cognitive Engagement offers a bold yet accessible vision for K–12 teaching and learning rooted in reliable principles from cognitive science. Schools today have put their trust into trends like excessive differentiation, self-paced personalization, and “student-led” learning, but are these models misrepresenting how learners learn and how teachers should teach? This book outlines a reinvigoration of evidence-informed instruction that prioritizes memory, knowledge-building, explicit teaching, and other strategies proven to raise achievement and equity across K–12 education contexts. Authentic scenarios, lesson structures, interventions, success criteria, and other recurring features show how these approaches can flourish in real classrooms. Provocative and highly practical, this book will help educators refocus their efforts on what students truly need to learn: clarity, knowledge, practice, and expertly designed instruction. In-service teachers, teacher-leaders, instructional leaders, curriculum developers, and other school staff will find an essential professional development resource that draws on the latest educational, psychological, and brain-based research.