Top 20 Principles for Teaching

Today, we would like to share an article recommended by a colleague, Dr. Leo Porter, which addresses the psychological science that led to the identification of a Top 20 Principles for Teaching (Lucariello, J., Nastasi, B, Anderman, E., Dwyer, C., Ormiston, H. & Skiba, R. (2016). Science Supports Education: The Behavioral Research Base for Psychology’s Top 20 Principles for Enhancing Teaching and Learning. International Mind, Brain, and Education Society, 10(1).)

There are so many research articles in education across many disciplines that it can seem daunting to faculty to extract key, validated ideas. These authors help solve this problem by consolidating that vast body of research into 20 principles. Identifying a list of “Top 20” was significant work and required first a Coalition to conduct a series of thought exercises. After they identifying core ideas, they then categorized, validated, and consolidated these principles in the article.

Some of the principles, which align with faculty development include, What Students Already Know Affects Their Learning; Acquiring Long-Term Knowledge & Skill Is Dependent on Practice; Students’ Self-Regulation Assists Learning & these Skills Can Be Taught; Clear, Explanatory & Timely Feedback Is Important; and Students Perform Better When They Are More Intrinsically Motivated. Also, Teachers’ Expectations About Their Students Affect Students’ Opportunities to Learn, Their Motivation & Their Learning Outcomes; Formative & Summative Assessments Are Useful, but They Require Different Approaches; and Good Use of Assessment Data Depends on Clear, Appropriate & Fair Interpretation.